The Patchwork Prodigy
by DMenace
Summary: After the tragic events of Breach, team RWBY was left recovering in the hospital, but with the Vytal Festival Tournament drawing near their young leader must get back on her badly injured feet to prepare them both physically and mentally for a long road paved in uncovered secrets and painful memories. Sequel to the Volume 2 pseudo-novelization "The Petals Scatter Now".
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

No Place Like Home

* * *

The student dorm of Beacon Academy appeared to be nearly abandoned despite all active missions having been recalled and every team flown back to the City of Vale for their protection. With classes still on hiatus, it seemed every capable student had gone into the war torn city despite that war already being over, leaving the only occupants those who had fought on the front lines and were still recovering.

There were dull flickers of life however as a journey was being made by the youngest of the freshmen that was nearly as agonizing for her teammates watching as it was for herself.

"You're doing great, Ruby!" yelled an encouraging and somewhat high-pitched voice from down the long hall.

The young girl grunted as she took another half-step before stopping to catch her breath again.

Blankets of sweat rolled down her colorless face as did a few tears which she wiped away in a hurry. Her baggy clothes which covered bruised arms and legs had long since become drenched looking as though she'd fallen in the nearby river rather than come from outside on a cool day.

Foggy silver eyes glanced up to see her partner standing beside the open door of their room with a corgi sitting beside her giving supportive yips.

"Tell Weiss I'll be there in a minute, Zwei..." she said groggily.

He relayed the message as the young girl wrapped her clammy palms around the handles of her ancient crutches and took a few more steps before pausing.

The comforting gesture of a gentle hand being placed on her shoulder caused Ruby to turn and snarl as if she were going to bite it.

"Blake..." she practically growled.

"Sorry!" The raven haired girl jumped back immediately, and glanced down the hall with remorseful eyes.

The girl in white nodded back sympathetically. It hadn't been their leader's bandaged shoulder that she'd hurt, it had been her pride.

After hours of fighting with doctors for her release that nearly resulted in violence, they finally relented upon realizing that their stubborn patient was going to crawl back to her bunk bed on scabbed hands and knees regardless even if it killed her. When they had brought her a wheelchair however, Ruby had refused in favor of a pair of wooden crutches that looked ready to break in half and had given her a handful of splinters.

 _'I don't need a hospital, I don't need a doctor, and I don't need a wheelchair now that I can walk', s_ he had declared in defiance.

If one could consider this _walking_...

With Ruby's knees looking ready to buckle, Blake hovered nearby holding her breath and keeping her peculiar shadow from giving away her position.

"I can do this on my own," the younger girl insisted sensing her presence.

Step by painful step she inched her way closer to home and could finally see the mysterious purple carpet stain at the entrance that everyone on the team had denied causing.

Feeling her damp socks slide on the tile floor she tightened her hold on the crutches and paused as red tipped hair blew in her face. Despite sweating profusely, a chill went down her spine and glancing up she noticed air blowing out the vents. After catching her breath she found herself nearly shivering and her body becoming as light as her head.

 _'Thank you...'_

She couldn't help but be aware of the red cape that would normally be blowing behind her absent however. By habit she'd already tried pulling the hood over her face a dozen times, and each time found herself more discouraged than the last.

Blake being only half a step behind smirked as her sharp eyes caught a soft glow behind the heiress' back that resembled a teal colored dust crystal. With her free hand, Weiss brought a finger to her lips where a grin was hiding in the corner.

Glancing up, the faunus glimpsed a glyph of the same color in the vent as well as white ones sticking to the bottom of Ruby's padded socks helping propel her forward while the heiress' naturally frigid aura cooled her partner.

From the vein protruding from the side of her head though, Blake could tell Weiss was straining to use so many glyphs with such little aura despite their small size. By reading her lips she could see both girls were now muttering the same thing.

 _'Just a little farther...'_

With Ruby approaching, the faint glow began to fade meaning her progress began to slow as well. Luckily she was so preoccupied with her own struggles that she didn't seem to notice her partner's labored breathing or the sweat on her brow as she passed through the doorway.

 _*woof*_

"Come here, puppy-tart." Weiss scooped the corgi into her arms being conscious of her left which hidden beneath her jacket was heavily bandaged. "You did it, Ruby," she cheered, applauding with Zwei's tiny paws.

"All by yourself," Blake beamed.

"Yay..." Ruby mumbled too exhausted for words.

She dropped her crutches before flopping down on the nearest bed, burying her pale face into an ivory pillow.

Seeing her pristine and without question expensive sheets imported all the way from Atlas being ruined, the heiress' eye twitched.

"I suppose it was time to wash my bedding anyway," Weiss said as kindly as possibly through her teeth. "Or burn them..."

Resigned to doing laundry later, or more likely creating a pyre, she set the corgi beside his best friend where he began licking her ear possibly trying to see how far he could stick his tongue.

"Stop it, Zwei," Ruby whined, feeling her brain being slobbered on.

The pair grinned as they could hear laughter in her voice for the first time in days, and Blake with a watchful eye on the faunus-eating-beast sneaked around to the mini-fridge where she discovered a bottle of water beside something green and fuzzy that caused her sensitive nose to turn. Leftovers from sometime before the mission, and possibly from the _previous_ semester...

"Here you go, Ruby."

She held out the drink and without looking, the younger girl graciously accepted it. Grimacing, she rolled over to her back and opened the bottle with her teeth.

 _*cough, cough*_

While trying to avoid looking at the sweat stain where she normally laid her head at night, Weiss rolled her eyes as more water was running down the girl's chin than into her mouth where it was being immediately hacked back up.

"I'm sleeping on your side tonight," she informed Blake.

"Alright," she deadpanned. "You can have Yang's bed, and she can have Ruby's."

Weiss turned to the gravity defying bunk bed her partner had engineered with books and candy wrappers on the first day of school, and when she caught sight of the bed that had not once in her time at Beacon ever been made she shuddered.

"Even if I hadn't had all of my shots, I would still rather risk sleeping in the Beowolf infested city again," she said truthfully to the other girl's amusement.

Gasping like a fish, Ruby finished the bottle and weakly tossed it in the air missing the trash can by several feet.

Her monochrome roommates blinked at the litter before at each other.

 _'When was the last time Ruby missed?'_ Weiss' eyes asked.

 _'Never,'_ Blake's replied.

 _*woof*_ Zwei added.

Closing her eyelids the younger girl wrapped the corgi tightly under her arm to her chest as if he were a drooling teddy bear. With her breathing beginning to slow and becoming rhythmic, her face at last looked at peace, something that was more frequent on the battlefield than when she was sleeping.

Just when they began to think she'd drifted off however, Ruby cleared her raw throat.

"So why'd Yang disappear and where'd she go?" she asked already knowing the answer.

"School stuff," they replied quickly as she began pointing at herself and mimicking a drink in her hand.

Ruby blew the hair out of her eyes despite not opening them. "I'd almost believe you if we weren't talking about my sister."

The pair glanced at one another and somehow the girl in black was nominated as speaker with Zwei coming in close second.

"All Yang said was that she had to go into town," Blake replied coolly, "and that it had something to do with school before taking off."

Cracking her eyes open, Ruby pursed her lips unable to identify how much of the truth she was telling.

"If she comes back smelling like my uncle and whistling the _Pumpkin Pete's_ jingle again she's your problem."

Blake's features remained stoic as did Weiss' causing Ruby to roll her eyes as she had learned from her partner before letting gravity win another hard fought round.

"This is why we don't play poker anymore..."

"That and your sister cheats," Blake added.

"That too.

"Plus you keep _losing_ the cards," Weiss chided.

"Probably because she never wins," Blake whispered loudly.

Ruby grumbled something about her teammates not playing fair but let the issue go being too exhausted to pull rank, not that it ever accomplished much anyway.

Catching movement in the clear blue sky, the faunus glanced out the window and spied half a dozen white airships in the horizon returning from the southeast.

She motioned her head to get the other girl's attention. "Looks like the military's back from Mt. Glenn."

Weiss rushed to the window but had to cup her hands around her eyes and squint just to see a faint glimmer of ivory bullheads. She scowled knowing the emblems on their wings despite not being able to see them, but soon she began bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Her demeanor changed however as she regarded her barely conscious partner.

"Ruby?" she asked worriedly. "Will you be alright by yourself?"

The girl gave a weak thumbs up that fell by the side of the bed which didn't boost their confidence.

"Are you sure?" Blake questioned. "I can stay here if you want me to."

"I can make it to the bathroom and back," she proclaimed boldly. "I'll be fine."

Feeling their troubled eyes watching, Ruby shook her head. "All I need is sleep, which is the only medicine that seems to work..."

Her teammates nodded feeling guilty that they'd had the luxury of taking medicine when their bodies already naturally healed much quicker. They'd gone so far as to take it behind her back so as not to trouble her.

"No more painkillers," she smiled happily.

They both flinched reflexively and Ruby sensing their unease glanced up to see them both looking over their shoulders in case a certain flammable blonde should come stumbling in.

"What Yang doesn't know can't hurt her," Ruby reassured.

"No," Weiss corrected with hints of fear in her voice. "What your sister doesn't know-"

"-can't hurt _us_ ," Blake finished mirroring her tone and expression.

"She wouldn't be _that_ mad," Ruby scoffed.

"Alright," they said in unison. " _You_ tell her."

Ruby opened her mouth but promptly closed it before shaking her head. Even if Yang did return home with half a dozen colorful little umbrellas to add to her already vast collection, it probably wasn't a smart idea to tell her sister the she had swallowed several painkillers in order to make it back to the City of Vale then even more during the battle with Weiss and Blake's knowledge, especially if they wanted to preserve what little health they had going for them.

"Nope," she said popping the ' _p'_. "I may be a dolt sometimes, but I'm not stupid."

Her infectious smile seemed to brighten the room as well as their spirits.

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" her partner asked again.

"Go on," Ruby yawned, waving them away halfheartedly. "I'll probably just sleep here all day, or the rest of the week. Maybe Yang will have my cape cleaned up by then."

Blake and Weiss nodded as their leader just wasn't the same without her trademark hood.

"We'll be back soon," Weiss promised.

Making their way out they glanced back one last time and caught the girl making cutting motions with the hair beneath her eyes, but the damp socks with red stained bandages underneath caused their mouths to dry.

They quietly closed the door leaving her and her dog to rest peacefully.

"We should have just tied her to the wheelchair and gagged her mouth," Weiss lamented. "Then maybe I wouldn't have to burn my sheets when we get back."

Blake slowly turned her head back from the door. "Do you think they reopened again?"

With her partner no longer watching Weiss' expression grew weary. "I don't think they ever really closed," she choked.

The girls glanced down at her feet and shifted their weight uncomfortably.

"It'll just take time," Blake comforted. "She doesn't have to worry about red dust infections anymore, and her aura's already starting to recharge."

"Yeah but she tore or at least pulled half of the muscles in her body, Blake, and have you _seen_ her feet since we got back?"

Her nose twitched at the memory that had made even Yang gag and feel ill, which was nothing compared to the reactions of the squeamish heiress and odor sensitive faunus.

"Let's just go to the hanger, get our gear and hurry back," she suggested. "I'm sure Ruby would like to have her ammo belt back and her cookie supply refilled."

Weiss snorted in an unladylike manner. "Yeah, Yang's been going crazy without her special shampoo, and you've become chatty, talking nonstop about being on the last chapter of your book."

To say Blake was _slightly_ on edge due to not knowing the ending to her story might've been an understatement, but ' _talkative'_ and ' _chatty'_ had never been very good descriptions of her.

"I'm kidding," Weiss said to the bewildered look she was given. "And I'm pretty sure you'd never talk about _those_ books in public anyway."

Blake cracked a smile and pointed to the elevator. "You're the one who wants to go down to the hanger instead of having our packs sent back to the room, and the one who won't quit talking about having a surprise for Yang."

Weiss dug her hand into her pocket. "Who I should text and tell her to hurry back now that Ruby's alright."

"This should end well..." Whatever her partner was doing, Blake doubted it combined well with vehicles and holographic devices, but found solace knowing nothing short of bullhead dropping out of the sky likely would kill her despite being even more tightly wrapped in bandages than her sister.

As Weiss was about to take the lead, a door to the left creaked open and a sullen face appeared hidden by shadows.

"Jaune?" she questioned.

The blond boy smiled awkwardly before waving. A small stubble was growing on his chin and for the first time Weiss noticed how tall and broad he appeared, and swore she never had to tilt her head back so far before.

"How is she?" he asked so lowly she could barely hear.

"Exhausted and feeling worse than she's letting on," Blake answered truthfully. "She's going to get some rest while we pick up the supplies we left on the mission."

He furrowed his brow. "Will she be alright on her own?"

They nodded but none of them seemed particularly convinced.

Weiss followed his eyes which appeared to be gazing through their door. While she'd never admit it to her partner, Ruby was her absolute best friend and almost like a sister, but to Jaune his fellow leader was someone he looked up to despite being a foot taller, and admired for all the qualities that made her who she was.

"We shouldn't be gone too long, Jaune," she reassured. "She'll be alright."

"We'll keep an ear out anyway," said a tall red head suddenly appearing beside him.

They smiled. "Thanks, Pyrrha."

She nodded and flipped the light-switch revealing a short, stocky girl with orange hair tied to a chair and her mouth gagged. Standing over her was a boy with dark hair, save for a lock of magenta by his left eye, watching her struggle with a satisfied grin.

Blake and Weiss blinked at the unusual scene while Jaune and Pyrrha merely shrugged as though it were an everyday occurrence.

"We nearly did the same to our own unholy terror," Weiss said approving of their actions.

Beside her, Blake made a cross with her fingers and placed it by her shirt collar.

"Excuse me," Weiss apologized. " _H_ _oly_ terror."

Pyrrha gestured behind her. "We had to tie Nora up to keep her from breaking the door down and helping Ruby."

"And gag her to keep her quiet," the boy in the back added with humor in his voice.

"Thanks," Weiss hung her head. "It bothered Ruby enough for the two of us being there watching, and I think that's one reason Yang took off."

Blake nodded. "She can't stand seeing Ruby like this, and she _would've_ tied her to the wheelchair."

Silence fell between the two teams but was finally broken up by a muffled cry.

 _"Isruboky?"_

Everyone turned unsure what had been said except Weiss who had countless hours of experience with a partner who constantly talked with her mouth full.

"She's fine, Nora."

"You can take the gag out now, Ren," Pyrrha said to his disappointment.

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "We were kinda listening in and looking through the peephole," he admitted to neither girls' surprise. "She didn't look good, is she-?"

"She's Ruby," Blake said simply. "She'll bounce back and be alright."

"That's great news," Ren smiled. "Right, Nora?"

The short girl let out a breath that she must have been holding for quite some time as her face had turned a shade of purple, either that or like Yang she'd never learned to properly breathe through her nose.

"The best," she affirmed breathlessly, hugging her partner just as Jaune and Pyrrha did.

Seeing them together both Blake and Weiss couldn't help but smile at the happy couples who'd only grown closer during the breach and in their recuperation time together. They all had their fair share of injuries, but luckily they'd been able to stay in their own beds and not in the hospital like their sister team, who all but Ruby had been released days ago but refused to leave her side.

"We'll keep an eye on her," Jaune repeated.

"Oh I know! I'll watch her!" Nora shouted. "I could draw pictures for her and she wouldn't suspect a thing!"

Blake and Weiss turned to each other hiding their feelings but knowing what the other was thinking. Although the lines between Ruby's obliviousness and willingness to look the other way were often blurred, they knew their leader wouldn't be pleased with a babysitter, especially when Nora needed one herself.

"I don't have any red crayons but I have lots of _lightish_ _red_."

"Pink..." Ren muttered under his breath, glancing at his partner's side of the room, and Weiss poking her head in was instantly given a migraine.

"That's alright," Blake said backing away. "We shouldn't be gone too long."

"Thanks again," Weiss waved following suit.

"No problem," the four said in unison.

The duo turned to leave as the door closed but remained cracked so they would be able to hear across the hall. Weiss glanced over her shoulder as the further they walked the more worried she seemed to become.

"Why don't we pick up some dessert on the way back?" Blake suggested. "It'll cheer Ruby up, and honestly I think that would cheer us all up a bit."

She nodded and finally took her eyes off the door. "Sounds good, but I'm pretty sure Yang is already in high _spirits_ right now."

They rolled their eyes at the pun but despite themselves chuckled and began whistling the _Pumpkin Pete's_ jingle.

* * *

The roar of the music inviting guests to join the dance floor was the only thing that could drown out the shrill cries of party-goers as spotlights shined singling out those most skilled at their craft. Free drinks being passed around were courtesy of the bartender who seemingly rewarded those with passion and charisma, but in reality simply wanted the stars of the afternoon to be seen indulging in his club's second most valuable service.

With so many customers on stage it left many of the tables fair game for those looking for an evening alone with their dates. Unnoticed by the patrons however were the dozens of identical looking men wearing matching black suits with red ties and sunglasses who saw to their every need while trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

Oddly enough the only ones who weren't matching were a pair of identical twins sitting off to the side, whose jobs seemed to be to eye everyone suspiciously and turn their noses up at anyone who attempted to converse or mistakenly flirt with them. Occasionally, the girl in red would turn her wrists over revealing long slender blades while the other in white would have the light catch her sharpened heels and let their threats be known to any possible troublemakers who may not know of their well-earned reputation.

For one wayward and dedicated party-goer however, she couldn't help but catch the twins out of the corner of her eye and smirk at the red and white combat skirts that reminded her of two other girls she knew, and wondered if they all shopped at the same store that sold impractical gear for pint-sized huntresses.

While the spotlights didn't follow as she navigated her way through the crowd, there was an unmistakable shine around her resembling sunshine that caused a few to forget where they were and stop and stare. She kept her head down, letting her jacket's hood cover her golden mane and her aviator sunglasses hide her lilac eyes. Although the almost intoxicating heavy rhythm of the base pulsing through her body was tempting her to join the dance, and a few of the guys did look like fun, she made her way to the lonely bar sitting like an island by itself.

With expert hands she sneaked a drink or two off the moving trays before replacing them with empty glasses. By the time she made it to the alluring bar, the edge had been taken off her stiff muscles and she was no longer thirsty from her long drive into the city. She still couldn't help but lick her lips however at the bottles sitting behind the counter with color changing liquids.

"Care to mix me a drink?"

The tall man behind the counter nodded, fervently cleaning a glass with his back to the customer.

"What will it be?" asked a gruff voice.

"Whiskey," she purred.

The bartender shook his head finally turning around. "Sorry blondie, your fake ID might fool the soon to be fired doorman but you're still not old enough."

"Psshh." She leaned back in her seat. "My birthday's in just a couple of days."

"Weeks..." he corrected sounding bored.

"Looks like you _do_ know everything in Vale!" she cheered, removing her sunglasses. "Care to share a few things over a strawberry sunrise? They're Signal's specialty you know, and my uncle taught me everything he knows."

When the bartender continued to stare down at her darkly she winked playfully.

"Come on, Junior." She clasped her hands together. "I didn't come for a fight and I'll even pay for my drinks this time. All I want is some information and I'll be on my way."

The large man stooped down to pour a drink but when she reached for it he pulled it away.

"I've got cops watching my establishment and I don't need it shut down early because of you."

Yang followed his gaze to the tables in the back and even without their uniforms she could easily tell who were the undercover cops. One naturally picked up a sixth sense going to Signal...

Her eyes drifted to the upper floor and noticed it was a lot barer than she remembered and that the workers looked unhappy and sluggish despite it still being early.

"What did you come here for?" he asked before taking a shot. "And don't say-"

"Torchwick?!" she slurred, raising her voice as if she didn't notice.

"Sssshhh!" He scowled at the officers then back at the grinning customer.

Junior leaned forward. "I'll tell you exactly what I told the cops and what I told you last time. I don't know _anything_ about anything."

She leaned forward as well still grinning ear to ear. "Bull."

"That's the truth." He took another shot.

"So then why are you skipping town?"

The bartender's lip curled glancing around his club. "If you hadn't noticed Vale isn't safe anymore, kiddo, and if I were you, I'd take my sister and do the same."

"Obviously you know something or you wouldn't be running away with your tail between your legs."

She reached for her wallet but he shook his head. "Trust me, it's out of your pay grade."

When she continued for her wallet he set the now empty glass down.

"Not even Schnee money is worth risking my life."

She glanced up in surprise and from the look on his face it seemed the words had been foreign to his tongue.

"This is my father's arrangement not mine, and I'm getting out of this city while I still can."

The girl grumbled to herself that she could really use a drink and flared her semblance. With just the slightest movement, her fingers brushed against one of the red tied workers passing by, causing him to trip and break the glasses he'd been carrying.

He looked up in shock and fear at his boss but the tall man simply pointed toward a broom and dustpan behind the counter. The waiter who now had a slight limp and feeling as though he'd been through a car wreck nodded, and quickly got to work cleaning while miserably saying goodbye to his paycheck.

All the while he cleaned his mess the bartender and his customer stared at each other neither blinking.

"You had better have a good reason for doing that, blondie," he said glancing at the twins. "You just got released from the hospital, and I'd _hate_ to see you back in there."

Yang eyes flickered red as she bore holes into him.

"That's for the _whistle_ you sold to _'you know who'_ that nearly got my best friend killed." Although her tone had been cheerful, the dark message rang out clear.

Junior continued to stare but finally begrudgingly nodded. Yang noted his muscles relaxing and breathing returning to normal, and found herself mildly pleased that her reputation had only grown after the city's breach, and that even with bandages under her clothes wrapped around so tightly she could hardly breath and aura that barely registered on her scroll, that she could still intimidate a man twice her size who was used to daily death threats.

As her semblance died down however, she could feel electricity shooting through her limbs and with a grimace reached for the drink Junior was pouring. When it was pulled out of her reach again she tightened her hand into a fist causing him to spill the liquid as she cracked her raw knuckles.

Dropping the act Yang's voice hardened. "What I _really_ want is a lead that takes me to whoever broke into the CCT. I've got unfinished business to take care of."

The bartender continued pouring. "Don't we all," he muttered. "Sorry, I can't help you there as my informants keep finding themselves burned alive these days."

"Maybe you should get better informants."

Junior caught her eye. "I don't know who she is or who all's working for her, but I know enough and that's why I'm not sticking around to watch my club burn to the ground. You, your sister, and your friends should all do the same."

Yang swallowed and let a flame travel down her arm inches away from the bottle of liquor causing him to pause.

"Let me make myself clear," she growled. "I leveled an entire city block when I killed an Alpha Deathstalker with my bare hands, and then took out another blowing up the white head of an Alpha King Taijitu. I can and will do the same and worse to _anyone_ who threatens my family, and I'm not afraid of a little fire."

The flame faded just as her unprotected skin began to blister which she quickly hid under her sleeve.

He sighed and began pouring another glass before pushing it across the counter.

"Tell you what blondie." He pulled it just out of her reach. "I can't help you find whoever nearly crippled your sister, but I can tell you where your sister's been going and who she's been seeing on this side of town if you're willing to make a deal."

She blinked not expecting this proposition again, and recalled the night she first came to Junior's club and discovered Ruby _'just walking through'_ the bad side of town.

"I'm listening."

"The City of Vale has been very good to me and my business. A few of my best customers have told me about a girl in a red hood with a scythe and a fiery blonde that saved their lives so I'm feeling a little generous, especially after hearing about how Torchwick's teeth were knocked down his throat." He chuckled to himself remembering the photo on the news. "All I want is a favor."

"What kind of _favor_?" She crossed her arms over her chest as her eyes flickered again.

"Your sister's been meeting with another info broker who's caused me a little bit of trouble in the past. I'll tell you when and where to find him if you'll just make sure he doesn't cut in on my business again. He could be a problem if I happen to stick around."

She clicked her tongue. "I'm not killing him if that's what you're asking."

"I run a credible business and I would never ask such a thing," he stated as if having memorized the line. "No one comes to this side of town not looking for trouble. Whatever your little sister got herself into, I'm sure you'd would like to repay him for it."

When she didn't respond he pushed the glass out a little further.

"All I'm asking is for him to be taken out of the game, and if you do a good job I'll even throw in free drinks on your birthday." He let out a long sight, gazing around his club with weary eyes. "And if your team's as good as they're saying, then you'll be making me a lot of lien during the Vytal Festival, and if you and your sister are _half_ as good as your uncle says, then maybe I won't need to take my business back to Mistral..."

A small grin appeared on his lips finally seeing the blonde taken by surprise. "He's shown up a time or two," he explained, "buying and selling information while cleaning the bar out."

Yang's clinched fist began to soften and she held out her hand.

"I think I'll be having that drink now..."

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This story feels like a fresh beginning and I hope it feels the same to you. This story won't be as intense or action heavy as its predecessor but will continue to balance the tone between lighthearted fun and seriousness, but it will be more relaxed comparatively. This story will likely skirt around the edges of insanity but I'd honestly expect nothing less from Ruby and her team. I hope you all enjoy.**

 **While "The Patchwork Prodigy" is the continuation to the Volume 2 pseudo-novelization "The Petals Scatter Now" I will try to be as new reader friendly as possible.** **For those returning to the narrative, thank you. It means a lot that not only would you read a story the length of a novel but you'd come back to see its continuation. I cannot thank you enough for the support and kindness you have all shown to me.**

 **For those unfamiliar to my style, similarly to my pseudo-novelization of Volume 2 certain** **elements from canon will find their way into this story that takes place between the two volumes. But I have to preface by saying that I've had most of this story outlined before Volume 3 was even released, and I've known my endgame for a possible Volume 3 pseudo-novelization even longer and it's no where near as dark as Volume 3's finale. Certain elements from Volume 3 simply won't work in "The Petals Scatter Now" and "The Patchwork Prodigy" narratives for various reasons but mostly because Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang are simply in different places development wise both physically and mentally. I mean no disrespect to the creators of RWBY with any alterations that are made to the story or characters. They are to simply tell the story I wish to tell, and the creators have my utmost respect for creating these beloved characters. Thank you.**

 **RWBY as well as the cover photo of Ruby standing in front of her mother's grave is owned by the late great Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.**

 **All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has blessed me and made this story possible. God bless)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bumblebee's Great Grandmother

* * *

Beacon Academy's airship hangar was crowded even at the dullest of times, but today was the busiest Blake or Weiss had ever seen the transit as they watched bullheads coming and going from afar. Their excitable leader often came just to spectate as she seemed to appreciate the thin line between chaos and order, but mostly she wished to greet the registered huntsmen who used the terminal as a means of travel across the kingdoms just as students did when assigned on school missions.

Today however the huntsmen were greatly outnumbered by the jade armored soldiers of Vale who were making rare appearances compared to their ivory counterparts of Atlas. Interspersed among them were soon to be graduating fourth year students earning their final credits while gaining invaluable experience, but occasionally a weary man or woman wearing tattered clothes with black stains would step onto the tarmac as if in a daze after days or perhaps even weeks of defending the Kingdom of Vale from the ceaseless hordes of Grimm.

Blake and Weiss having spent just three days protecting the world from nightmares with only a night of sleep in between knew what the huntsmen were walking away from, and understood the heavy burdens they would carry for the rest of their lives.

 _'Thank you',_ the girls would say in respect and gratitude of their elders who despite their hardened appearances couldn't have been much older, and they made sure to bow their heads to those with speckles of silver in their hair, a rare marvel in a line of work where surviving to your second tour of duty made you one of the fortunate elite.

A few of the veterans returned their courteous nods as they could sense kinship in their auras, but there was always sorrow in the seasoned warriors' eyes seeing the young huntresses in-training and knowing what would become of them in just a few short years.

The freshmen couldn't help but see themselves walking among them someday, and while seeds of doubt sowed long ago played in their minds, they didn't take root as their huntress pride was too great and only growing by the day, perhaps as a result of their partners' influences.

However, as the sun came closer to setting and their arrival and departures were becoming less frequent, the chilled air of impatience began to build as another group of airships landed without bearing the emblem of Atlas.

"What's taking them so long!?" Weiss huffed, stomping her foot. "If I'd known those imbeciles would be taking their time, I wouldn't have left the dog to watch my crippled partner while I have my eardrums ruptured!"

In the back of her mind Blake wondered if the hellhound would sense his isolated prey's weakness and decide to finish her off for good. It was only a matter of time...

"Calm down," she appeased with hands resting atop her head. "General Ironwood's in charge of the investigation so they're probably reporting back to Atlas' airfield first."

Weiss continued muttering to herself, this time about her blistered and swollen toes only to be interrupted by the bullheads departing. As they flew overhead the slender body beside her tensed up, causing the girl in priceless heels to turn. Cold eyes glancing up softened seeing Blake's grimace as she removed her hands making it look as though she'd simply been tightening her bow.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," she apologized. "You should go back to the dorm and look after Ruby. I don't mind waiting by myself."

Blake shook her head. "Most of the airships are clearing out and I've gotten used to it. Besides, Yang should be here soon along with the soldiers and our stuff."

Weiss bit her lip thoughtfully. "So it's a race between the world's worst designated driver and the world's most incompetent military," she mused. "A blue lien on the girl who will breathing fire for the next twenty-four hours."

A grin tugged at Blake's lips as she was savoring the girl's newfound attitude towards her kingdom's military. Being a faunus it was practically her birthright to resent and distrust the northern kingdom, especially its soldiers for the atrocities they had once committed against her kind. But the disgust she had felt her entire life didn't seem to compare to that of the Schnee's, and she couldn't help but relish the irony.

Her bow twitched before she could finish reaching for her wallet. "Looks like you would've won that bet."

 _*rrrrrrmmmmvvvvv*_

Weiss let out a long sigh hearing the familiar engine. "Speak of the fire breathing dragon herself..."

The pair turned toward the tunnel that led to the student garage just as a black and yellow motorcycle emerged flashing its lights before coming to a halt. The rider wearing a matching jacket and helmet removed the headgear revealing a blonde mane and a lopsided grin.

"Nice helmet hair," Weiss remarked as they approached.

"Thanks!" Yang yelled to their faces as she hopped off her bike with an uncoordinated bounce. "Anything exciting happen while I was out?!"

Although the her voice was as warm and cheerful as ever, her teammates could sense the worry behind her lilac eyes and the anxiety in her cloudy aura, and while her slightly slurred speech revealed what she'd been drowning them out with all day, the faunus could practically hear the _buzz_ between her partner's ears.

"Ruby's asleep and drooling on Weiss' pillow," Blake replied, causing Yang to snort.

"Good thing I taught the princess how to do laundry or she'd still be setting everything on fire!"

"That's still in the realm of possibility," Weiss remarked dryly. "And you don't have to yell."

"At least it gives us an excuse to go shopping on the rich side of town!" Yang began rubbing her hands together in excitement as Weiss always bought extravagant lunches, and spending absurd amounts of money on her friends came just as naturally as it did for herself.

Weiss closed her eyes and massaged her temples. "This time, could you _please_ refrain from asking customer service if the sheets and pillowcases match?"

Yang's eyes twinkled having a witty retort, but all that came out was a loud hiccup which she suppressed along with her giggles behind a sheepish smile.

"How were the drinks?" Blake asked with an awkward and almost embarrassed expression.

"Did you threaten the cops again when they pulled you over?"

Although Ruby never said a word about her sister's unruly habits, her teammates couldn't help find but find them somewhat unsettling, especially when the sun hadn't yet gone down and when her sister had _just_ limped out of the hospital and was now lying unconscious back in the room.

The party-girl's grin stretched across her face and gave the pair a wink. "The drinks were fine, the guys were finer, and I've never been pulled over in my life thank you."

"But you have threatened them before."

Yang held up her hands unashamed. "Like every good Signalite I'm a little fuzzy on the details of graduation." She exhaled deeply as if reliving the weekend she was still piecing together with help from Ruby, news reports, and a scroll full of amusing if not incriminating photos.

"You two are going to love staying with us once the school year is over," Yang gushed. "Trust me, you haven't lived until you've survived your first spring break on Patch. Just ask Rubes, she's already almost over the trauma."

She was so incredibly grateful that she'd forced her baby sister to experience them both months prior to being accepted into Beacon. Spring break and graduation were the two most important events for Signalites, and taught more practical survival skills than teachers or classrooms ever could. If one could remember such _invaluable_ lessons that is...

But as the academy's unofficial motto stated, _'Never let school interfere with education'._

Weiss meanwhile shuddered recalling her partner's ceaseless begging and her own moment of weakness, or possibly madness, when she agreedto come visit with them. Despite herself however, she had a rather morbid curiosity about the origin of the sisters' chaotic lives back at Signal which also doubled as their home. From its well earned reputation, Weiss believed there was a high probability of being either committed or incarcerated, but she much preferred prison to the lonely mansion in Atlas, which besides the gourmet food wouldn't be all that different.

While the heiress made peace with the fact she'd never return the same, Blake's nostrils flared as she caught her partner's scent.

 _'Nightclub,'_ her unsurprised nose interpreted, but her brow began to rise on closer inspection.

Yang was a dedicated mouth breather being especially accomplished and devout in her sleep, but even the spearmint gum and the perfume that continually fooled her father wouldn't have affected the faunus' keen sense of smell. However, while Blake could pick out traces of her partner's drinks, there was nowhere near enough to justify the swaying back and forth of the self-proclaimed _'world's leading authority on strawberry sunrises'._

She narrowed her perceptive eyes at her as another group of bullheads departed carrying dozens more students when she felt the temperature suddenly drop. She and her partner turned to Weiss holding her arms as if she were cold.

"How was the city?" she asked, lowering her gaze from the familiar faces flying above.

It was the question they'd been avoiding but knew had to be addressed. Yang's grin faltered for the first time and Blake noted the sudden change in her partner's stance as well as speech.

"Just like how we left it," she admitted. "The huntsmen and military are telling the civilians to stay inside until they're sure the entire city is secure, but..."

Yang shrugged and chuckled darkly. "It's still Vale. Every boutique, cafe, and club I passed had lines out the door, and all the dust shops are sold out of guns, ammo, and crystals." She glanced at the heiress with a wry smile. "With prices skyrocketing, the SDC's profits should be up though."

Weiss hid her feelings behind a weathered mask and Yang's semblance instinctively flared, just as her partner anticipated.

"But the Atlesians living on the north side of town are leading the cleanup," she added apologetically. "And I saw plenty of people passing out food and water with snowflake labels."

The pale girl nodded pleased to hear some good coming from her kingdom and company.

"They probably just didn't like looking at the mess from their untouched paradise," Blake said _half_ -jokingly.

 _'But at least their underpaid faunus servants get to clean up someone else's mess for a change,'_ she sarcastically kept to herself.

"I did see a hundred year old woman with a snooty accent complaining about the sixty degree heatwave while trying to sweep away what was left of a building," Yang remarked.

Weiss didn't seem surprised or even mildly upset by their comments as she knew better than anyone they weren't exaggerating. As her roommates had quickly discovered, the people of Atlas were notorious for their near obsession with order and cleanliness, and the sisters proudly undermined the heiress' _unnatural_ quirk every chance they had.

 _*twitch*_

"Hey!" Yang cried, standing on her toes suddenly full of life again. "We're waiting for _white_ bullheads right?!"

Blake noted her change in behavior once again before slowly nodding.

"Well they're here!"

The girls turned around just as a pair of Atlesian airships entered the hanger beginning their descent to the landing pads.

Weiss, forgetting about her heels and complaining about them just minutes prior, sprinted toward the bullheads while Yang followed along whistling a tune she couldn't seem to remember.

"This had better be good," she muttered under her breath. "I had just started to have fun..."

 _*fffffwwwtt*_

A hand grabbing her sleeve caused the blonde to spin around with her lips still pursed.

Blake's unreadable eyes just a foot away blinked. "At the bar with _'fine drinks and finer guys'_ you mean?"

Yang closed her mouth being reminded of her partner's cat-like hearing and acute sense of smell. Neither girl said a word as they stared through each other's blank faces into their auras which could tell no lies. A fever broke out beneath Blake's fingers as she watched the girl's aura beginning to darken along with her eyes. Hearing shrill cries of joy, Yang turned away forcing her to either let go or be dragged along.

"It's here!" Weiss exclaimed unable to contain her excitement. "It's finally here!"

"What's here?" they asked, looking at the normally self-composed heiress as though she'd grown a second head.

She took several deep breaths before pointing a finger that was about as steady as Yang had been. "That!"

Hearing the sound of metal scraping the tarmac they glanced up.

"You've got to be kidding me..." The partners' mouths hung open as their heads tilted to the side.

The team's color coated red, white, black, and yellow backpacks were being carried by a group of soldiers while a second larger yellow pack that towered over the rest was being dragged by several men. Behind them however, half a dozen others were hauling upright four long rusted metal poles with chains attached at the top that descended to wooden seats that looked much too painful to sit on.

"A swing set..." Blake deadpanned.

Weiss gleefully bounced up and down as if she were her partner unable to stand still.

Yang shook her head but found herself amused. "You had the military go to the lost city _just_ so you didn't have to buy yourself a swing set. Cheap much?"

"Humph! With the map I gave them it was on their way to the tunnels," Weiss huffed, regaining her dignity.

She pointed at the SDC's symbols on the airships that were more pronounced and numerous than that of her kingdom's own. "In case either of you have forgotten I'm a Schnee, and after the Deathstalker incident I have no shame or regrets using Atlas' military as my personal servants and treating them just like the rest of my family does. What about you Blake?"

"Nope," she agreed without hesitation as she massaged the top of her head.

"Alright then it's settled," Weiss brought her hands together as she saw the soldiers struggling. "Oh boys," she sang angelically.

The men looked up and immediately stood at attention with salutes.

"Ma'am!"

"You may carry my swing set to the courtyard facing the southeastern side of the student dorm. As for the backpacks and _vehicle_..." She glanced at Yang with a grin so minuscule only her friends would've known it was there hiding in the cold. "Take them to team RWBY's storage unit in the student garage. We'll sort them out there."

The soldiers nodded and followed her orders carrying the swing set toward the open doors of the hanger while the rest headed into the tunnel.

Her teammates meanwhile glanced down with eyebrows raised.

"Vehicle?" they asked.

Weiss nodded nonchalantly. "Bumblebee's great grandmother to be more precise."

The girls had been so focused on their packs and the start of Beacon's new playground that they hadn't noticed the second bullhead and what was being unloaded. Blake's entire world lit up as if the sun was standing beside her and quickly shielded her eyes before nudging the blonde, who much like her younger sister with Weiss' pillow was drooling.

"Is that-" Yang choked.

"Yep," Weiss popped the _'p'_ clearly pleased with herself to have mimicked her partner. "The prehistoric motorcycle you haven't shut up about since the mission. I don't know what you expect to do with the rusted piece of junk, but consider it an early birthday present."

 _*sniffle*_

She handed the tearful girl a handkerchief which she used to loudly blow her nose before handing it back.

"Eeww..."

Before the heiress' face had time to turn green with disgust, she felt her heels leave the ground and the sensation as if she were flying.

"Yang!" she screamed as she was being swung around by her arms. "Put me down at this instant! "PLEASE!"

Weiss pulled a hand free and covered her mouth as her cheeks puffed out and her pale face changed color. "I think I'm gonna-"

Blake ducked before she could be decapitated by her wiry legs and watched in awe as the girl was sent spinning into the air like a frisbee.

"That's a new record," she remarked as the screaming girl kissed the top of the hanger.

Hearing the sound of metal scraping, Blake turned to see the soldiers pushing the motorcycle frame that had long since lost its color to rust onto a small cart causing the temperature to rise.

"STOP!" Yang cried. "You're hurting her!"

Running faster than her sister ever possibly could on a three day sugar binge, she took off and grabbed the sides of the vehicle. The soldiers' mouths fell open as the heavy machine was lifted over the girl's head while she rubbed its rusted underbelly as if it were a newfound puppy.

Blake shook her head in awe of the awesome strength of her partner that she was certain she'd never get used to, but a high-pitched wail from above caused her ears to pin back.

 _*gulp*_

She held up her arms and braced herself for the head-on collision, and the next thing she knew snowflakes were spinning around her head while someone groaned atop of her and shadows danced about.

"No good deed ever goes unpunished," the dizzy heiress slurred.

"You can say that again," Blake slurred back.

"Hey!" a large shadow with a mane called. "Get off each other and help me move Bumblebee to the garage, then we'll go see Ruby."

The pair untangled themselves and after staring daggers into her, realization crossed their eyes. Yang was constantly shifting the motorcycle's position on her shoulders while keeping it steady with her free hand. Beads of sweat were beginning to roll down her tense face, and her chest rose and fell rapidly while the bright aura around her began to dim.

"Are you alright, Yang?" her partner asked, eyeing the shaking arms and legs.

"Fine," she growled, staggering back toward the tunnel.

The girls gave each other knowing glances but quickly caught the blonde who was taking long strides, which forced the much shorter Weiss to walk twice as fast.

"Why don't you let the soldiers carry it," she urged. "Blake and I were going to grab Ruby some dessert but you can come with us."

Yang kicked up Bumblebee's seat as she walked past revealing a large box.

"Already got it covered." She grimaced as she switched shoulders. "I think about four dozen cookies outta cheer her up."

 _'Which will cheer us all up...'_

With a sly grin spreading across her face, Blake pushed the seat back down and picked up the helmet. She glanced up at her twitching bow then back down at the helmet before shaking her head and setting it atop Weiss'.

Lifting the visor revealed her smiling eyes as she adjusted the protective headgear which was much too large for her, and since she was far too light and dainty to handle Bumblebee safely, she let Blake take a seat.

"Wanna ride, Weiss?"

The helmet shook side to side. "No thanks," came a muffled voice. "I still have a migraine from last time when I lost a rather exquisite lunch."

"Most expensive puke ever," Yang remarked with clenched teeth as she led the way.

Weiss glanced down at her swollen and blistered feet that protested in her heels before holding her empty stomach.

"But since I can't feel my head and I already lost my lunch..."

 _*rrrrrrmmmmvvvvv*_

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I cannot express my gratitude enough for the kindness you've shown me with Chapter 1 of "The Patchwork Prodigy" and the finale of "The Petals Scatter Now", or for the entire story for that matter. You all have been so very kind to me since the very beginning and I'm sorry I haven't always thanked you personally, especially when you've been such a blessing to me. Thank you everyone who has ever given me a review, a PM, a shout-out, or a simply hello, and thank you for reading. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has made this story possible and has blessed me with all of you. God bless)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Somewhere Over the Sunset

* * *

 _*knock, knock*_

A black bow followed by a reluctant white ponytail peeked inside the quiet dorm room as the door gradually creaked open. Concerned eyes scanning for life blinked away tears as the sudden rush of stale air escaped into the hallway, but through the mist they spied a pair of crutches and an empty water bottle tarnishing their once tidy floor.

Team RWBY's room residing at the end of the hall ordinarily left the window open in consideration of their resident faunus, as well as the peevish heiress who could detect even the _slightest_ hint of body odor or dirty laundry, especially after combat training. And despite the best efforts of the sisters, all forms of clutter that resulted in migraines for the Atlesian were stored in the large walk in closet they shared together that much like their gravity defying bunk beds was considered a death trap.

Piles of books along with shoe boxes were stacked to the ceiling and threatened to collapse whenever the doors opened, but they were only half as dangerous as the stockpile of explosive sniper rifle rounds and shotgun shells that guarded one of the many perpetually hollow cookie jars that were emptied quicker than could be filled.

And despite almost solely wearing either school uniforms or their huntress garb at Beacon, there were clothes forgotten on hangers that hadn't been worn since the lavish dressing rooms of the northwestern department stores that populated the so-called _'unaffordable side of town'_. Weiss was the leading culprit of course with Yang not far behind, but because the blonde took a _'less is more'_ approach with her attire, Weiss often commented that the larger girl had twice as many outfits but could store them in ziplock bags for convenience.

Sharing a bedroom, bathroom, and closet together had led to countless arguments and fights among the teenage girls, but mostly between Weiss, who had her own private library in Atlas, and the sisters, who seemed almost fond of lacking personal space after sharing rooms most of their lives. Blake having been raised outside the kingdoms found four simple walls as a luxury, but kindly asked that the window be kept permanently open.

Luckily, their beloved home had both a walking heater and air conditioner as well a rose scented air freshener to keep its quarrelsome occupants _somewhat_ content. Now however, nauseating waves of body odor caused the sensitive pair to block the doorway until a weary blonde impatiently pushed her way through either not noticing the smell or not being particularly bothered by it. Blake and Weiss on the other hand covered their lower faces while staring at the source.

"Alright that's it!" Weiss declared, pointing at her stained sheets. "I'm burning my bed and killing your sister!"

Not taking the daily if not hourly threat of her sister being murdered seriously, Yang banged on the bathroom door before dragging her feet to the fridge.

"Ruby, I'm home!" she hollered, dropping the box of cookies and reaching for a bottle of water.

Blake tossed aside the black and yellow backpacks she'd been carrying that had their personal effects before skirting around her partner to open the window that had merely been cracked. Still at the door, Weiss dropped the much lighter white and red packs and watched in horror as water poured from Yang's chin as she guzzled it down as quickly as possible. When it was completely drained, she reached back into the fridge and casually bit into something with green fur growing around it. After swallowing she placed both the empty bottle and half eaten _cuisine_ back into the fridge and raised her still dripping chin.

 _'UUUURRRRPPPPP!'_

Yang bowed giving herself a solid seven out of ten before hopping onto her top bunk with baggy clothes sticking to her figure and her mane covering her unusually pale face.

Weiss shuddered recalling the girl's _'attempted murder'_ when she had first tried expanding her affluent palate, but despite having a near perfect memory even she couldn't remember what the green ball of fuzz had been months prior.

"They're both barbaric savages..." she muttered, watching her bed as if afraid it might move.

"Kinda redundant Weiss," Blake absently remarked from across the room.

With a huff, Weiss began stripping the sheets wondering just how many red dust crystals it would take to rid the world of such defilement, but slowly she began to notice how unnaturally quiet their normally chaotic room was, especially with the other barbarian just on the other side of the bathroom door.

She turned to the other bed biting her lip. "Do you think Ruby's alright in there?"

"Huh?" replied a sleepy groan.

Weiss rolled her eyes and was about to repeat herself when Yang gingerly sat up with tired-looking round eyes fixed on the locked door as if she'd been staring at it all day.

"If she were passed out on the floor, Zwei would be having a fit." She paused to chew on her cheek. "Or he'd be curled up beside her taking a nap..."

 _'Maybe he already ate her,'_ Blake thought darkly still by the window. ' _And maybe we're-'_

 _*slurp*_

"EEEEEEPPPPP!"

The high-pitched scream for once wasn't uttered by Weiss, but nonetheless she leaped atop her partner's bunk and crawled under the covers as a small monochrome creature stood at the windowsill watching with its tongue lazily hanging out as a trembling shadow stretched across the room to atop the desk, where a panting faunus held the back of her neck while her heart threatened to burst out of her chest.

As Yang chuckled at her easily alarmed roommates, Zwei cocked his head to the side and gave the wide-eyed girl's shrinking shadow a friendly yip.

Weiss dropped to the ground brushing herself off before glancing back at the door as if nothing happened. "Now I'm worried."

Yang yawned and flopped her head back down on the pillow. "Alright, then _you_ go check to see if Ruby's passed out on the floor or if she's just taking her first real bath since the mission."

"She definitely could've used one when we left," Blake pointed out, still watching the hellhound as she got to her feet. "And it wouldn't be the first time she fell asleep in the tub with her headphones on."

"And got out looking like a prune," her partner laughed.

"I'm being serious," Weiss crossed her arms but her tone was anything but stern. "What if she's hurt?"

Yang grimaced as she rolled off the top bunk and gracelessly landed on the floor below. Without her usual abundance of aura to fortify her muscles, she could feel every single rip, tear, pull, and break in her bruised body that was being held together by tightly wrapped bandages and sheer stubborn willpower, but she seemed to take pride that bordered on pleasure in every second of her discomfort as if they were badges, or possibly atonement...

"I guess _me_ being the one to see Ruby passed out on the bathroom floor would be an ironic change of pace," she mumbled not entirely taking the situation seriously.

She came to a halt in front of the door and raised a reluctant fist.

 _*knock, knock*_

"Hey, Rubes, you fall in again!?" Yang paused to listen but after a moment turned to the faunus who shook her head also unable to hear anything behind the door.

 _*knock, knock*_

"Candygram!" She placed her ear at the door while the other two glanced at the box of cookies that would be a peace offering if the door were to open. One of the more infamous and violent incidents between the sisters had occurred when a _'candygram'_ turned out to be nothing more than Yang wanting the bathroom mirror to fix her hair, and after several minutes of both physical and verbal abuse, it had abruptly ended when the elder sister got bored and sat on the younger's chest.

The blonde tapped her foot as patience wasn't one of her virtues...

 _*BOOM, BOOM*_

"Ruby, open up!" she yelled loud enough for the entire dorm to hear. "Weiss has to go winky-tinky-woo-woo something fierce!"

Yang ducked as a damp pillow was thrown at her head, and getting back up she shared a look of unease with her teammates.

She took a deep breath. "Okay, ready or not here-"

Before she could kick the door down, Blake pushed her partner away and stuck a paperclip into the lock and turned it several times.

*click*

Moving away, she glanced at Weiss who likewise was also reeling from almost seeing the bathroom door being kicked down for the second time that month.

 _'Our partners are insane...'_

As they silently argued their strong cases for which sister was crazier, Yang turned the knob and without warning, threw the door open breaking the hinges which cause both girls along with the dog to jump.

"Is she passed out?" Weiss asked, covering both her and Zwei's eyes.

"No," Yang said sounding almost disappointed.

"Then close the door!"

"She isn't here, Weiss," she replied still holding onto the handle.

Slowly, Weiss, Blake, and Zwei peeked inside the large bathroom with its bare tub and walk in shower as well as two sinks, one of which was dedicated to makeup and had a pair of scissors laying out.

They glanced back into the bedroom as if looking for a hiding spot big enough for their leader, but the closet was ruled out immediately as they knew even Ruby wasn't that crazy.

"That dolt!" Weiss cried. "She actually thought she could trick us into thinking she was taking a bath!?"

"Fooled you," Blake remarked dryly.

"That's idiotic!" she fumed, pulling at her pony tail. "That's irresponsible, thoughtless, and-"

"-completely Ruby," they finished together.

After a moment of collecting their thoughts Zwei spoke up.

 _*yip, yip*_

Yang let go of the door which fell to the side and turned to her partner. "You wouldn't happen to speak dog would you?"

The cat faunus stared back with an unamused glare.

"What about you Weiss? You act like a-"

"Where could she have gone?" Blake interrupted. "Her crutches are where she left them, and it took her _hours_ to get here from the infirmary."

Brushing past the pair, Yang marched to her sister's bunk and lifted the mattress. Standing on her toes, Weiss' eyes widened at the dozens of candy wrappers and gun magazines that Ruby most likely didn't read for the articles.

Yang gasped and with a shaking hand reached out and retrieved what looked to be two silver shotgun barrels nailed to a metal fist with a pistol grip and trigger attached.

"I've been wondering what happened to Ember Celica 1.0!" she said, her bright smile lighting up the room.

Weiss gaped at the barbaric design and took a step back. "Ruby made that!?"

With the flick of her wrist, Yang activated her right gauntlet and held the two side by side and the girls noted how Yang's were much less bulky despite being a higher caliber and acting as vambraces.

"Nope. This is the prototype I built after graduating from basics into combat classes. Ruby, my brilliant and ingenious sister," she beamed, "built the version you both love _and_ fear to keep me from killing anyone...accidentally that is."

"Thank God," Blake muttered, stepping away from the device that looked as though it had been made with scrap metal welded together in under a minute.

Despite her fear and its rather crude design however, she did find herself highly impressed with her then twelve or thirteen year old partner's engineering skills that were often overlooked or left forgotten due to her younger sister's unhealthy obsession with weapons and her own lack of finesse and patience.

"She must have made a mold of my hand before adding the grip and trigger," Yang began comparing the fists which had broken so many bones and killed countless Grimm in the time since.

"Is that _thing_ actually loaded?" a high-pitched voice asked from behind Blake.

Yang carefully opened the barrels and chuckled darkly. "Ruby Rose, the only girl who wishes there were a monster under her bed so she could shoot it."

Blake glanced down at the pale girl whose Atlesian tan was becoming transparent. "I guess that makes you the monster under her bed, Weiss." Yang playfully nudged the girl's shoulder nearly knocking her to the ground.

The heiress swallowed. "It's a miracle I'm alive, considering how she jumps up on her bed, kicks in her sleep, and all the times-" She covered her mouth as her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head. "With the amount of times I've used glyphs to help that idiot sleep I could've shot someone's head off or blown us all to pieces!"

"I said my little sister was _'brilliant and ingenious',_ " Yang reminded with a crooked grin. "I never said anything about her being particularly smart, or not needing adult supervision for that matter."

Blake couldn't help but bob her head in agreement as the fifteen year old girl whose engineering skills rivaled the finest of the SDC and prowess with a scythe were unmatched, was the same who up until a few months ago believed chocolate milk came from chocolate cows, and that bees were milked for honey. Yang would've thrown the heiress out the window for spoiling her lifelong fun if her sister hadn't needed consoling after...

Gently, Yang placed the glorified shotgun-cannon back where she found it and pointed at an indent in the mattress.

"Looks like Crescent Rose was here recently."

"I've told her to stop sleeping with that overgrown gardening tool. It's going to be the death of me someday I know it," Weiss whimpered on the verge of tears. "And how did she even smuggle it in here?"

She turned to Blake who shrugged just as perplexed but had stopped questioning her leader's ability to move the giant weapon unseen by even her keen eyes. "You think she took it to the machine shop or maybe the gun range?" While Blake liked to hide away in the library and be comforted by the smell of books, their leader preferred steel, grease, and red dust explosions.

Yang shook her head. "No chance she'd make it that far," she licked her lips thinking, "but a six foot sniper-scythe does make for a really good crutch..."

She dug around her pockets and pulled open her scroll which caused the pair to quickly avert their eyes until she brought up her sister's vitals and almost nonexistent aura levels. Seeing the steady heartbeat seemed to calm their own, and smiles tugged on their lips as if a heavy weight had been lifted from their chests causing their moods to also lighten.

"You didn't _actually_ have her chipped did you?" Blake asked, studying her partner with a raised brow.

She held up a finger. "Not yet, but thanks for reminding me."

"What are you going to do?" Weiss snorted in an unladylike fashion. "Wait for her to fall asleep?"

Yang shook her head as her eyes flickered. "I'm gonna walk up to Ruby with a syringe and tell her, _'This is for scaring me to death when you went missing in the lost city, now bend over'!_ "

The pair laughed so hard their sides hurt and eyes watered, but they soon realized Yang wasn't sharing their amusement and was glaring intently at her partner.

 _*gulp*_

"I swear I'll never run away ever again," Blake solemnly promised as her shadow disappeared.

"Ditto," Weiss squeaked, again hiding behind her.

Looking past the pair Yang's eyes lit up despite the fading sunlight of her dull aura. Walking toward the window she immediately noticed a rusted swing set in the courtyard positioned under a shady tree for convenience of those with fairer skin, but poking her head out she craned her neck in an awkward angle toward the west where the sun was peeking behind the city's skyline.

Her eyes drifted down before finally she turned her head and blinked several times at the sky directly above. Pushing herself back to an upright position she blew the hair out of her eyes and dragged herself to the door.

"Be back in a minute," she called. "Try not to burn the dorm down or blow yourselves up."

 _*thud*_

The pair shook their heads as she slammed her shoulder against the wall before correcting herself by running into the other. She disappeared around the corner with similar noises following down the hall and they couldn't help but glance at the ancient crutches lying on the floor wondering if she needed them more than her sister.

"I can't believe Yang might actually be the sane one," Weiss murmured, rubbing the bridge of her nose while lines of worry crossed her face.

"They'll be fine," Blake reassured reading the girl's mind. "I would say Ruby and Yang are tougher than two lien steaks but that's probably an understatement, and you've probably never seen one."

"You would have been correct." She nodded before pointing out the window.

Together, a curious black bow and white ponytail peeked down at the several story fall below to see a familiar looking crater with yellow dust around the edges.

After sharing a knowing glance they slowly tilted their heads.

High above were a pair of feet kicking the air with rose patterned socks stained red...

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I'm really excited for the next as it'll be the first time Ruby and Yang have had a chance to talk alone in quite some time. With how things played out in "The Petals Scatter Now" I think they've got some heavy things to talk about, but as always lighthearted fun and heavy burdens are two sides of the same coin for our heroes. T** **hank you for correcting me on my mistakes and errors, I try to catch them all but sometimes they slip through. Also thank you for all the kind words and support you've given me. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Heart of Gold and Eyes of Silver

* * *

Students of Beacon Academy shared nearly every waking moment together with their teammates, who despite differing beliefs and social statuses had all come to the most prestigious school on Remnant to be trained as protectors of light against an unrelenting darkness.

Even the most polar opposite of partners couldn't resist the powerful bond that had developed from brain numbing classwork, exhaustive combat training, and countless encounters with living nightmares where they seemingly took turns saving each other's lives by endangering their own, which they deemed far less valuable in comparison of their partner's.

At times combating Grimm was almost tame and refreshing compared to the petty arguments that were far too often resolved with over-the-top violence, but together they made the sleepless nights in their modest dorm rooms tolerable if not pleasant. And for certain teams with quirky leadership, sharing bunk beds felt as natural as breathing.

It didn't matter if their worldviews ranged from optimistic to pessimistic or from cynical to childlike. Their auras were just as contrary but over time began to overlap so closely it became impossible to distinguish fire from ice or whose shadow was dancing on the floor, who the sweet fragrance of roses was coming from.

When one heart was grieved the other three felt as though their were own was breaking, but even the lowest ditches of despair couldn't compare to the emotional highs of being enveloped in each other's happiness or the exhilarating rushes of sharing victories.

Getting lost in each other's souls became almost effortless as they were worn so freely and invitingly on their sleeves that teammates would often find themselves humming unfamiliar tunes just from another walking into the room, which often led to bemusement or disgust if had been learned from Signalites.

Sometimes it was _too_ easy forgetting one's self however, and for that reason every student had a secret place hidden from or purposely ignored by their understanding teammates, and the many balconies atop the dormitory were favored places for those seeking seclusion and privacy while also searching for the best view the student campus had to offer.

Below the sheer cliffs and across the wide river that fell a thousand feet before forking was the magnificent City of Vale in all its glory. The dark haze that had hung above like a mourning veil while strangling its peaceful citizens had lifted, and now every light in the city shined brightly as if to combat the literal darkness at its doorstep. Even the yellow bricks that led to the academy seemed recently polished as they glowed in the fading sunlight.

For one peculiar girl sitting precariously on a ledge with her rose patterned socks dangling over a several story fall, her silver eyes were filled with mist as she could name every building that was missing from the familiar skyline she had marveled upon since she was a child.

One towered above them all however, and its cruel light shined from across the commercial district causing her to feel as though she were standing on searing needles just from glimpsing it out of the corner of her eye. She tried to look away but the CCT was like a brilliant flame and she a naive moth. Silver was replaced by gold as she reached for the radiance that seemed to draw further away like a will-o'-wisp, and her body slowly tipped over the edge. Before she could slide off completely she caught the mocking and counterfeit flame tightly in her fist and pushed herself to safety.

With deep breaths she turned away toward the only tower in Vale that could rival the Atlesian structure. The one she had gazed upon for hours until emerald lights were embedded in her eyes while she dreamed of one day being a fearless huntress like her mother. It stood as a declaration of her fulfilling a lifelong goal and acted as a nightly reminder of where she was. Even after so many months, training at Beacon was still so surreal that she feared waking every morning from her fairy tale, and perhaps that added to the many reasons why she had trouble sleeping at night.

Her eyes shifted toward the setting sun that had taunted her far too long from beyond the dirty hospital room window, and despite the November chill she felt warmer than she had in days even without her beloved hood.

Looking beyond the wounded city she could just make out the faintest silhouette of a large landmass off the coast, but using her imagination she could see so much more. While only months ago she had gone to sleep dreaming of the Emerald Tower and its surrounding campus, she now daydreamed of a combat school's humble tower she had climbed countless times in her youth, and the surrounding beaches with its parties her sister so often had to be dragged away from.

In her most cherished dreams there was also a snowy village tucked away in the mountains where a cozy cottage sat in the middle of a strawberry patch with the pleasant aroma of baking cookies and a woman's sing-song voice filling the air, but they were always preceded by her darkest nightmares...

Eventually when her gray eyes grew weary, they fell to the grand airship floating in the bay not far from the waterfalls. She had learned that the students of Atlas were now under lockdown after the breach, and that the other schools had temporarily withdrawn the majority of their students back to their respective kingdoms for their safety, but she couldn't help but feel everything they were doing was fundamentally wrong.

The Vytal Festival was about uniting the four kingdoms together through the selfless huntsmen who protected the world, and the young students who symbolized future generations of peace. The devastating attack on her home and the hundreds of victims should have been the catalyst to bringing them closer than ever, but it seemed to only distance them so that the pristine white uniforms of Polaris, the funeral-like garb of Haven, and the casual attire of Shade rarely walked the campus anymore.

Like the mocking whispers of the CCT however, she could feel a strange pull toward the Atlesian airship and if she closed her eyes she could picture herself walking its frigid halls and almost smell the gourmet dinner cooked by chefs who prepared every meal as if they were serving northern royalty just as their ancestors had in the past.

Just thinking about it made her empty stomach growl and gave her a single hiccup.

 _'Penny...'_

 _'I'll find you, I promise...'_

She began kicking her legs curiously counting how many stories were below. Soldiers in ivory armor were patrolling the campus as they had every evening since arriving, but tonight half a dozen had peeked her interest when she'd spied them carrying a swing set.

Short of breath, it had been after much grimacing and grunting that she'd lifted her heavy sniper rifle to confirm that the playground she and Nora had been campaigning for was seemingly on its way. However, as she'd dialed in her scope warmth spread throughout her chest seeing the rusted metal chains and the wooden seats that also caused phantom pains to tingle in her backside. She couldn't help but wonder if a particularly painful slide was next.

 _*bing*_

She wiped her eyes hearing the expected elevator's arrival followed by the familiar stomps that had once confidently echoed throughout the halls of Signal, and caused heads to turn wherever they went. Her's however remained looking down.

The distinctive footsteps sounded heavier than usual, and listening closely she could hear a slight limp as they approached the balcony before coming to a halt. Without looking, Ruby waved a hand as if inviting the tired feet to rest beside her.

Moments later a warm body flopped down letting their longer and uncharacteristically covered legs hang over the edge. Calloused fingers drummed the concrete ledge and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her visitor spit and watch it land in the crater below.

Afterward, a rough hand wiped the girl's moist cheek and brushed her hair to the side despite the red tips no longer falling in her eyes.

"One day, Rubes," Yang sighed, "you're going to let me cut your hair _before_ you butcher it with Crescent Rose."

Ruby cradled the rifle close to her chest as if it were a child. "I used scissors and a mirror this time," she murmured. "I can take care of myself, Yang..."

The warm guest scooted closer giving her good shoulder a playful nudge. "I know you can, but that isn't going to stop me from trying to do my job."

She felt an arm wrap around her and give a gentle squeeze as the sun sank deeper into the water, and the place they had once called home was gone until morning.

"You know, sis." Yang removed the deadly weapon from her sister's lap and pretended to study its chipped paint carefully. "Most people would've used the elevator to get up here."

Ruby nodded absently. "Most people don't have gashes in their feet, or a sniper rifle that can send them flying thirty feet in the air..." She rubbed her aching arms which had nearly been violently ripped from their sockets when she had pulled the trigger.

Blonde hair and lilac eyes turned causing her to look away.

"I was tired of laying in bed and wanted some fresh air," Ruby said defensively.

Yang clicked her tongue. "Considering the window was barely cracked I'm not surprised."

"I was just going to sit on the windowsill," she continued, "but-"

"-but you thought tricking your sister and friends into thinking you were taking a _much_ needed bath would be more fun," Yang finished, though not unkindly.

"I heard about Weiss needing to go _'winky-tinky-woo-woo',_ " Ruby mumbled. "Sorry..."

"You could've left a note," she suggested offhandedly. "We would've understood and given you some space." Yang set the rifle down out of her sister's reach. "But that's not what you really want is it? Otherwise I wouldn't have found you in the first place I looked."

Ruby's head hung a little lower causing the blonde to flare her semblance with what little aura she had remaining.

Earlier that morning when her baby sister was laying in the hospital, Yang could only see the little girl who rarely ate and only spoke during her nightmares. Watching her limp out of bed as she had without even the slightest complaint had been one of the proudest moments of her life, but seeing Ruby with tears in her eyes with every step had caused her own to well up, as well as turn crimson, which was why she claimed to have _'school stuff'_ to take care of in the city before grabbing her gauntlets and taking off on Bumblebee as quickly as possible.

Now however, the little girl looked as though she'd aged several years and was replaced by a young woman Yang once knew who had the same weariness in her silver eyes and heavy-laden spirit.

"Don't worry about it, sis, we're not mad," she reassured. "And from your socks I know you crawled your way through the room, or else you'd have left a blood trail and Weiss would be puking right now." Her soft laughter was ended by the frail girl making a sound her big sister could've heard even over the roars of Grimm.

 _*sniffle*_

"Why does horrible stuff like this keep happening?" Ruby choked. "Is all of this because of me? Did I do something wrong?"

She pointed at the missing buildings that her sister had also been fascinated with since she was young, then at the island hiding in the darkness.

Yang tightened their embrace as they sat for an eternity in silence, but finally with a deft hand she dug beneath the younger girl's collar to find the cold metal chain given to her shortly before coming to Beacon.

"Rubes," she breathed, "if I hadn't lost my mom, you and I wouldn't be sisters."

There was an uncomfortable stillness in the air that caused Ruby shift her position. Sometimes on particularly dark nights when sleep was distant, she couldn't help but wonder if she were a reminder to her family that things hadn't gone as planned.

Her sister's mother had been the first and probably only woman their father ever truly fell in love with, and when she died so did a part of him. And while Ruby never doubted that he loved her mother too as they'd been teammates and close friends since their time at Signal together, in all her life she had never seen him smile quite as brightly and painlessly as he did in the photographs of just him, his _first_ wife, and their _only_ daughter.

But while many others might have found self-pity or perhaps bitterness in her situation, the thoughts never even occurred to Ruby. She respected the beautiful woman that had come before her mother, who besides her mane being dark looked just like her powerful and dauntless daughter, and Ruby was incredibly sorry for what happened to her. She wished their father had never been broken in pieces by her death still waiting to be put back together, that her big sis had never lost the only woman she ever called _'Mom'_ , and that their uncle had never become a so-called _functioning_ alcoholic after his sister's death.

More than anything in her life, Ruby adored her family and wanted them all happy...

The embrace tightened and it felt as though a comforting candle had been lit.

"But don't you _dare_ think for a second that I would ever trade you back, sis."

Ruby glanced up at the mind reader through her tearful eyes into her sister's own.

"A day with you is better than anything that could've been, you hear me?"

There a pain in her voice that Ruby wasn't used to that caused her to bury her face into her sister's shoulder.

"And if Summer..." The name caught on the back of her throat. "And if Summer hadn't left us, I'd be alone and you'd still be in Patchwork dreaming about being a huntress." She paused to find the words that she should have been said long ago. "Which is what you were born to be, Rubes. You've proven that time after time and everyone knows it. Summer knew it too..."

Her sister sobbed into her shoulder causing Yang to brush her hair.

" _This_ is what I'm here for," she soothed.

Once nothing more could be shed Ruby wiped her face and Yang cleared her throat.

"Rubes," she breathed. "You know better than anyone that sometimes bad things happen even to the best of people. We're surrounded by darkness but look at us! You and I are on top of the world, and because of you millions of people are alive, and right now the City of Vale is brighter than ever."

Her eyes lit up as if seeing the city for the very first time and after a moment realized that off the coast among a myriad of other lights, was a familiar tower shining. Even the stars seemed to illuminate Mt. Glenn in the distance, as well as the Grimm filled forests encompassing the city.

She glanced down at her sister's closed fist as it slowly revealed the cross necklace she had received as an early graduation present.

"You were always better at waking up on Sundays than I was," Yang teased, "but you taught me a thing or two."

Ruby glanced up with a thin smile tugging her lips. "You were always awake, but-"

"-but I was usually sneaking into bed smelling like Saturday night," she confessed proudly unashamed.

Both girls giggled and laughed at the fond memories, and with the cross still in her sister's hand, Ruby grazed the warm metal with her fingertips which seemed to spread throughout her body.

"Yang," she said quietly, "I never thanked you for talking Dad into letting me come to Beacon with you." The blonde sighed but before she could open her mouth Ruby interrupted. "I was listening by the door while the two of you argued for over an hour when he refused to sign the papers. He didn't want to give up both of his girls on the same day, but you convinced him that it was the best thing for me."

Ruby swallowed and blinked several times to rid herself of the moistness. "And I heard you talking to Blake and Weiss..." she whispered. "Y-you changed your mind didn't you?"

Yang let out a deep breath and went back to playing with her sister's hair. "Rubes," she anguished. "I love you, and I honestly couldn't live with myself if anything ever happened to you, and you already know neither could Dad or Uncle Qrow." She paused so she could find her voice again. "Dad's one condition for you coming here was that I keep you safe, and I'm not sure how much longer I can do that, sis, especially with the _bang up_ job I've been doing so far..."

"Yang, it's not your-"

"You've had five hospital visits, three this month alone, all of which I could've prevented. And I lost count back in September how many times you've nearly died in front of me. Rubes, I'm sorry but-"

"Don't be," Ruby shook her head, and glanced up at the shattered moon hanging above and finally let her tired body relax. "The first week in Professor Goodwitch's class was amazing," she gushed. "I got to show off everything you, Dad, and Uncle Qrow taught me against people who've had twice as much training as me, and I beat most of them in less than a minute.

" _All_ of them," Yang corrected with a sly grin.

Ruby nodded reluctantly. "But then fights started lasting longer, opponents started landing a few hits, and sometimes I was happy with just getting a draw." Despite the sad admission her tone never faltered. "That's when I started to notice that everyone else could have their auras knocked down into the red but still be combat ready by the next day, but I'd have to sit on the sidelines with mine still in the yellow for the rest of the week."

Her sister nodded having seen it for herself. "You're still incredible, sis. You're _fifteen_ and you've left everyone but me and Pyrrha flat on their backsides, and if it wasn't for us you'd be undefeated right now. You're combat rating is higher than most second years and-"

"Yang," she squeezed her arm, "it'll be until the end of the semester that I'm feeling a hundred percent again. My aura levels have barely risen since school began, and I'm still not any better at controlling it. I'm supposed to be y'all's leader but I have the slowest recharge speed in the school, I can barely keep up an aura shield while using my semblance, and now that Weiss' aura pool has practically skyrocketed, I'm sitting at the bottom of the team in every category except combat ratings, and Blake and Weiss aren't _that_ far behind me."

"What are you saying?" The question hurt as Yang already knew the answer.

"What I'm saying is this," she answered with a crooked grin hanging on her face. "If you and dad want me to finish my final year at Signal, I won't be mad and I won't argue. I've already decided to sign up for spring and summer courses, and I'm going to finish my scythe and aura training with Uncle Qrow. By the start of the first semester next year I'll be sixteen, which hopefully means my aura starts developing as quickly as yours did even if I didn't inherited dad's."

Ruby licked her lips having given this much thought while laying in her hospital bed. "Sophomore students have to complete over two dozen missions that will make us going to the lost city look easy, and I don't think I could've taken another five days there even if my aura hadn't been messed up from the transfer. Y'all are amazing and just keeping getting stronger with every fight, but I can barely keep up.

"Yang, you're not just by _far_ the strongest member of the team, you're the strongest in the entire class and can kill Alphas by yourself. Weiss, she _just_ started using high level haste and telekinetic glyphs, but it won't be long until they're as simple for her as lower elementals. Blake, she's just _now_ starting to use aura in her fights, and already has more control that I could ever dream of. And I refuse to hold any of you back from being the world's best huntresses."

"You're still incredible, sis," Yang repeated in the midst of wiping her eyes. "We couldn't have gotten here without you pushing us and constantly finding new ways to use our powers and weapons. You've done an amazing job leading us, you really have."

"Thanks," she smiled, "but I'll go along with whatever the two of you decide. All I want is to see the Vytal Festival, I don't care if I can't compete or not."

"Well your teammates _do_ care if you compete."

"We're supposed to complete two more missions Yang," she exasperated. "and even if Professor Ozpin bends the rules like you keep saying he will-"

"He owes us," she stated matter-of-factly. "Big time."

"Even if he does I'm going to be cutting it really, _really_ close."

Yang cracked her knuckles. "You'll make it. Just worry about healing up and leave the butt kicking to me. Blake and Weiss can help too if they want, so long as they don't get in my way."

Her sister beamed but something flickered in the back of the blonde's mind.

 _'Even if my aura hadn't been messed up from the transfer...'_

She cleared her throat. "Ruby, I know sometimes we keep secrets to protect each other. You, Weiss, and Blake are probably better off if we keep pretending that _I'm_ the oblivious one and that I don't know how you were able to keep fighting after we found you in the tunnels, or why you kept drooling."

"I never-"

Yang held up a hand and gave her sister a knowing look that was usually reserved for when she'd said something witty or was being particularly clever when finally it fell into something more caring.

"But if there's anything at all I can help you with _please_ let me. I don't care what it is. You're keeping secrets from me, sis, and that scares me."

Ruby's body tensed up and her hand drifted toward her stomach. She opened her mouth to speak but whatever she was about to say she kept to herself and the hand drifted away.

"Just like how you keep going out for _drinks_? Or how you, Dad, and Uncle Qrow always seem to stop talking when I walk in the room? I'm not the only one keeping secrets..."

Despite the embrace never faltering there was an edge to her voice that caught Yang off guard, but at the same time didn't surprise her in the slightest. "Like I said, Rubes," she said bringing her baby sister closer. "Sometimes we keep secrets to protect each other..."

 _'And it's my job to keep you safe, whether you like it or not...'_

They sat in silence watching the lights twinkle in the distance, and while a humming Ruby played with her necklace while bathing in the moonlight, Yang found herself shivering and wishing for the sun to return as she was now the one using her sister for warmth. Discreetly, she breathed into her hands and rubbed her forearms through the jacket and thick bandages.

The embers had long since faded and the seemingly endless supply of heat had gone cold, and Yang glanced at her pale skin frowning. She had never been sure if her respectable tan had come from the beaches of Patch or a result of her own radiant aura, but looking down she became suspect.

"You know, Rubes," she said trying keep her teeth from chattering. "Dad probably won't be back for a couple more weeks so we can talk about this later. But I want you to know that team RWBY wouldn't be the same without _Ruby_. And everything I've said, Blake and Weiss feel the exact same."

She blushed deeply and found she didn't have the words to express how thankful she was to have them as her teammates, or the girl sitting beside her as a sister.

"Now," Yang clapped her hands which had goosebumps. "You remember what we'd do whenever Dad left on business right?"

After a moment of confusion Ruby bobbed her head gleefully. "I'd eat chocolate while you emptied Uncle Qrow's fridge until we both puked!"

"Before we both went back for more!" Yang laughed and pulled her sister back down as she was about to stand up excitedly on her crimson feet.

Yang shook her head and winked. "Hey Blake! Weiss!"

Down below two heads poked out of a window with sheepish looking faces.

The blonde gave a sideways glance at her sister then at the ground. "Say Rubes..." She grinned devilishly. "Right now, if we fell from this high, do you think it'd kill us?"

Ruby bit her cheek looking thoughtful. "Me definitely, you probably."

Somehow her sister's wicked grin widened. "Then I guess our partners should probably catch us..."

"Yang?" Ruby whimpered, knowing the wild look in her eyes far too well.

Without warning, the blonde with her arms still embraced around her sister rolled off the edge. Screams of terror falling to the ground were replaced with roaring laughter as a pair of beaming smiles aimed for the high-pitched shrieking in the window down below.

Finally, all was right in the world...

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This was a very special chapter for me to write and I hope it comes across that way. I love writing for all of these characters but the sisters have always been especially dear to me. Team RWBY had rough childhoods and things didn't get easier as teenagers, and things aren't likely to change for them as adult huntresses, but they're happier now than they've ever been in their lives and it's because of each other.** **Ruby has been in a dark place as of late and Yang needed to be the one to carry her out of it. I also wanted to show her growth from being scared of going back to Signal to realizing that at this rate she might get herself or her team killed, but at the same time I wanted to emphasize that Ruby's the toughest fifteen year old on the planet and is a major force to be reckoned with despite her age working against her.** **Also, I guess we'll find out later if Blake and Weiss caught them, let them drop, or were also killed in the process. Personally I can think of no better send off for team RWBY than the sisters getting them all killed with half of them laughing and the other half screaming, but Weiss would probably find the inevitability a tad too predictable. Oh well, I guess we'll see them next chapter then. Once again thank you for reading and all of the kindness and support you have shown me. I hope this chapter has been a blessing as it has been for me. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has greatly blessed me and made this story possible. God bless)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Guardian Angel

* * *

Yang slouched in her cramped chair having lost count how many times she'd been requested to wait in the lavish office where an imposing ebony desk and a much more comfortable-looking seat gazed out a floor to ceiling window with purple drapes to one of the many outdoor training fields of the student campus. Due to the frequency and length of her reprimanding lectures, she had all but memorized the outlandish room, but for her teammates it had them all on the edge of their seats.

Sitting to her right, Blake was humming while bobbing her head and smiling at photos of kittens decorating the walls and sitting on the orderly desk. Despite the office's unwelcoming atmosphere that smelled of lavender, there was something reassuring about knowing the professor was a cat lover that eased her normally skittish nerves.

To Blake's right, Weiss was studying the large bookcases encompassing the room where leather bound tomes at least a century old sat without a spec of dust as if they had been read as recently as that morning. On their spines were intricate glyphs that even she didn't recognize, and so quickly found herself committing them _each_ to memory.

Sitting less than an elbow's length away from her sister, Ruby peeled open another candy wrapper as she gaped at the dozens of trophies and ribbons behind display cases. Despite the former dueling champion's many accomplishments however, at the forefront were pictures of boys and girls wearing Beacon uniforms as they hoisted large gold cups over their heads bearing the symbol of the Vytal Festival with a tall woman beaming behind them.

The only reason her mouth closed at all was to inhale the mouthwatering chocolate bars that caused her eyes to roll to the back of her head as she deftly unwrapped the next. Occasionally she'd nudge her sister to get her attention, but all she did was nudge her back uninterested.

Out of boredom Yang found herself rehearsing the usual excuses for what trouble she and her teammates may or _may not_ have caused, but was finding her memory a little hazy and the possibilities seemingly endless.

Ever since their triumphant return home it had essentially become _'bonding time'_ for the team as Ruby still needed a helping hand and couldn't walk very far, and after everything they'd been through together, they found themselves not wanting to leave each other's company. That alone was a recipe for trouble...

Dinner for the hungry teenagers had consisted of pizza being delivered from the _unaffordable side of town_ courtesy of the heiress, but the very first night wound up being free due to the delivery boy fainting when a freshly showered Yang answered the door in a towel, which as Blake wryly pointed out had been far less revealing than her usual attire.

The next night Weiss had preemptively greeted him at the elevator with an apology and a substantial tip, but instead was met with over half a dozen delivery boys bearing boxes on the house with Yang having to be physically restrained by her teammates due to claims of having a way to ' _knock them dead and get free food for the rest of my life'_.

While she skulked, Ruby and Weiss joined in with Blake's humming, but as soon as the bow atop her head twitched, Blake frowned and sat upright.

 _*WHAMPH*_

The partners jumped as the door flew open behind them, and a towering figure peered down with spectacles that seemed to magnify her steely eyes.

"Morning, Glynda," Yang yawned, having grown accustomed to the dramatic entrance of their combat instructor.

The slender woman well over a foot taller than half the team regarded the girl with an irritable look that bordered on apathy.

Perhaps they were both feeling a sense of deja vu...

" _Professor Goodwitch_ will do just fine, _miss_ Xiao Long," she informed, drawing out her student's name. "And perhaps your unruly nocturnal activities should come to a halt. It's afternoon now."

The night owls glanced at the large clock with kitty paws on the desk confirming her statement. Yang however noticed a cup of coffee sitting off to the side and licked her lips at the dark texture that subtly changed hues.

"Whatever you think I did, I didn't do it," she stated emphatically before rubbing her hands together. "So can we wrap this up early? It's Friday and I've got _things_ to do tonight."

Ignoring her, Goodwitch's stylish heels stomped past the team but not without a quick glance down at the leader whose lips were coated in chocolate. Rolling her eyes, she flicked of her wrist and a small purple glyph appeared clearing the stains and sending the neglected wrappers laying on the floor into the wastebasket where a flame glyph was waiting.

Weiss while unsettled by the display of authority, power, and simplistic elegance, made a mental note to try that later while her partner pouted before happily licking her fingers.

With her round chin held high, the professor took a seat behind the desk and stared at the careless older sister who was still ogling at her coffee.

"For once, miss Xiao Long, you are not here because of your indecent behavior."

Yang let out a breath glad to not be reprimanded again as last time she had nearly needed resuscitation after narrowly avoiding dying of boredom.

"I can hardly believe it myself," Goodwitch shook her head feigning disbelief, "but I suppose I could always arrange a room check if you'd like."

All eyes widened except the blonde's which were threatening to close.

"I'm curious to see what sort of _beverages_ are sitting in your fridge and what might be hiding on your side of the closet."

Yang smiled innocently and began whistling a tune she couldn't keep.

"I'm also interested in searching for these supposed _perfume_ bottles that reek of wet dog, and see if I can't find any weapons of mass destruction underneath your mattresses."

She glanced at the leader who tried to whistle like her sister but the chocolate stuck between her teeth made it impossible. Weiss and Blake on the other hand stared straight ahead with stoic faces trying to avoid all eye contact and association with their partners.

"This isn't Signal!" Goodwitch nearly spat. "Which means your father and uncle aren't here to coddle you, and that the students and professors don't fraternize over drinks together."

"Hey!" Yang cried defensively. "It's not my fault the combat instructor's favorite drink was a strawberry sunrise, or that it runs in the family."

She nudged her sister who looked up anxiously into her _current_ combat instructor's eyes.

"Strawberries are my favorite and I like sunrises..." Ruby mumbled. "Uncle Qrow and Yang told me they found a way to combine them in a drink, but it made me sick..."

Yang slapped the back of her chair laughing. "She swore off strawberries for nearly a week and has been more into sunsets ever since."

Goodwitch blinked clearly not amused by the story, or pleased about the young girl's maltreatment and her family's so-called _inheritance._

"So why _did_ you call us here?" Yang asked cheerfully. "We've been sitting here forever and we're all really thirsty. Mind getting us some coffee? I'll take whatever you're having."

"Five sugars please!" Ruby cried now fully attentive as she held up five fingers before turning to her teammates who held their breath.

"We're good," they whimpered, trying to distance themselves from the contentious blonde and her oblivious sister. It had long since been established that Yang's death wish was deliberate while Ruby's was usually more unintentional, but sometimes it was a thin line...

The professor pursed her lips together and pushed the drink out of the smirking girl's sight.

"Miss Xiao Long, if I _had_ called you to my office we would be discussing something along the lines of your language in the classroom, or-"

"Here we go again," she groaned. "For the last time, I thought Cardin said his name was Richard. He looks, acts and, sounds like a Richard, and all I was trying to do is be friendly."

Ruby snorted and received a glare that paralyzed her with fear.

"Besides," Yang gave a wry smile, "I've been told you it mutter under your breath whenever Ironwood is around."

She gave her partner a sideways glance as the professor's eye twitched, but before she could speak again received a sharp elbow to her right side.

"-what could only be described as attempted murder in your exhibition matches," Goodwitch seethed between her teeth continuing as though she had never been interrupted, "your inability to follow the dress code-"

Yang eyes glazed over as everything that had been stated since the first week of school was being repeated once again.

"-harassment of the male students, and I'm sure I could find something incriminating on your scroll."

Once she realized the professor had stopped speaking Yang shrugged. "And yet I've held back in every single one of my matches except with Pyrrha," she said with a cocky grin, "and being pared with either of us usually means you're punishing them for something."

Goodwitch responded with narrowed eyes but also the slightest of curt nods.

Yang glanced down at her casual attire and despite the uncharacteristically loose-fitting clothing that covered both her arms and legs, she found herself highly pleased with herself and fluttered her eyelashes at the professor.

"I also wear the school uniform better than anyone _ever_ has, and I've never once heard a guy complain about my clothes, my teasing, or _anything_ else for that matter."

The room was silent as the blonde reveled in the glares she was being given before finally poking her partner in the shoulder. "And speaking of incriminating and having things to hide..."

Blake slapped the accusatory hand away before trying to sink into her chair and meld with the shadows.

With a chuckle, Yang glanced down at her sister. "Sis, we're lucky you haven't blown us all to pieces yet. And Weiss," she purred, shaking her head dramatically, "don't even bother acting innocent."

The heiress' face turned scarlet just like her teammates' as anger mingled with embarrassment while Yang leaned back in her chair fully satisfied with her results.

 _'Let's kill her when Ruby's not looking.'_

 _'We could try poison, but then again she hasn't even had indigestion from her own cooking.'_

Goodwitch, seemingly reading Blake and Weiss' thoughts nodded as if agreeing to help bury the body.

"So..." Ruby squeaked, playing with her saliva coated thumbs. "If you didn't call us here, who did?"

"That would be me."

Everyone jumped including the faunus as an even taller visitor leaning on a silver handle black cane stood in the doorway.

"Ozpin!?" they shouted.

" _Professor_ Ozpin," Goodwitch greeted straightening her desk, "good afternoon."

The headmaster with only three steps casually strolled to the students' side wearing his trademark dark green suit with a turtle neck before raising his coffee mug as a salute.

"And it's a good thing too, otherwise you would all likely be in trouble."

They glanced at the combat instructor whose eyes were making the _Ice Queen's_ seem warm and friendly.

"So why are we here?" Ruby swallowed, wishing her hood wasn't still being repaired.

Beneath the headmaster's wiry spectacles his eyes twinkled at the young leader and her team. "I simply did not wish for you to limp all the way to my office for something so trivial yet important as this."

The puzzled team glanced between each other before tilting their necks again.

"I know we've spoken since, but to say many lives were saved by the four of you nearly sacrificing your own would be an incredible understatement, and I'm very proud of you all." The young leader beamed as did her teammates. "And despite the mission being only your first steps to becoming full-fledged huntresses, you all acted admirably and beyond all expectations. The citizens of the City of Vale owe you their lives and gratitude, but being true huntresses means very few will ever learn your names or sacrifices. Instead, you have my thanks, and the respect among your fellow huntsmen."

"I'd rather have a cash reward," Yang said humorously.

The headmaster chuckled lightly while his assistant scowled.

"Unfortunately that isn't how things work," he heartened.

"Besides," Goodwitch added snidely, "you likely caused more damage than the White Fang and Grimm combined. And going by the preliminary reports, it's sheer dumb luck that you and your teammates weren't killed when you lost control of your semblance. Your rage drew not one but _TWO_ Alphas straight towards you and hundreds of Grimm into the streets of the residential district. You may have saved thousands of lives, miss Xiao Long, but make no mistake, you nearly killed everyone around you."

Yang's features hardened as she met the woman's gaze refusing to reveal how much or if at all it bothered her to think civilians or her sister and friends could've easily been turned to ashes or fallen victim to Grimm because of her.

"I guess it's a good thing I trained at Signal then," Yang said with a red tint to her eyes, "because-"

She paused feeling a small, comforting hand around her's and the smell of roses which caused clear lilac to return.

"-because that was nothing compared to my _'indecent behavior'_ on Saturday nights, or school nights for that matter."

A shameless crooked grin hung on her face as she received an infuriated glare, but in the back on her mind she finished what she was going to say.

 _'Because Signal has the best combat instructor on Remnant, and unlike you, he actually held the Vytal Festival cup over his head._ _Three times...'_

 _'Should've been four...'_

Ruby squeezed tightly and the united team looked up in support of the blonde who had been their cornerstone throughout the entire battle and the reason why two Alphas and countless other Grimm were dead and they weren't. They let their gratitude and respect shine on their faces, as well as their displeasure and contention with the professor's statement.

Yang took a deep breath calming the dark thoughts tied to her fiery semblance as something even as mundane as flickering her eyes depleted her already exhausted aura. The past few days when she wasn't lifting half a ton over her shoulders or adding to delivery boys' sweating, she was using her aura to heal the numerous injuries hidden beneath her baggy clothes. Patches of pink skin were leftover from where her raging fire had burned through her flesh, and despite the bites and claw marks fading, it felt as though her entire body was being held together by tightly wound bandages, as well as her unbreakable resolve and sisterly pride.

Her emotions _had_ lured those walking nightmares toward them which saved countless lives, but the three sitting beside her were more precious than all of the City of Vale combined and worth every waking moment of her discomfort.

The headmaster cleared his throat interrupting the heavy silence. "Despite that however," he glanced between them and Goodwitch. "I've recorded your first mission as successful, as well as the other two."

"Other two?" They cocked their heads to the side.

"Professor Oobleck tells me the four of you each killed well over a hundred Grimm in the lost city." His eyes fell to the leader. "And that a peculiar bet was made with the winner coming out ahead double or triple that of her teammates when all was said and done."

Ruby blushed and went back to playing with her thumbs, but hearing Goodwitch snicker she looked up, and judging by the pleased look on her face it appeared perhaps Ruby hadn't been the only one to win a bet. To her annoyance however, she realized that she hadn't been able to reap her reward until returning to the dorm.

Ozpin brought her back to blushing though as his bright smile was directed toward her, as well as her teammates'. She really missed her hood...

"That wasn't your true objective however, or the reason I sent you on that particular mission," he said growing serious. "You also managed to discover the White Fang and thwart a terrorist attack that could have easily cost tens if not hundreds of thousands their lives if another month had passed. Afterward, the four of you acted as true huntresses saving lives not caring what could become of your own."

Yang's aura brightened the room as she wrapped an arm around her sister who was smiling ear to ear, and even Weiss and Blake's auras flared feeling the full weight of their achievement together.

"And as I'm sure you're all well aware, as per the requests of Mistral, Vacuo, and the Isle of Vytal, and to ensure the safety of travelers from all kingdoms and territories, the Vytal Festival Tournament will be delayed until General Ironwood's investigation is complete."

They nodded but out of the corner of her eye, Yang read the woman's lips before quickly turning back to the headmaster after interpreting them, and their target.

"It shouldn't be anymore than a few extra days or perhaps a week, but because of this time of uncertainty and its always changing format, I've spoken with the other academies and they've all agreed to reward any team who fought on the front lines to protect Vale with the three completed missions needed to enter the tournament. It's the least we could do for our selfless students like yourselves."

The air was sucked out of the room and Ruby's head began to spin.

"I told you sis!" Yang shook her arm making sure she didn't faint. "I told you!"

"Team RWBY will not be an exception, however," he paused causing the ecstatic team to hold their breath, "it'll depend on-"

"Me..."

Everyone slowly turned to the quiet voice as she kicked her legs into the air wiggling her unbuckled and loosely tied boots.

A growl escaped from the back of her sister's throat as she glanced up at the headmaster. "We'll be ready," she promised, "and we'll win."

"Count on it," said Blake and Weiss in unison.

Ozpin smiled at their declaration and united spirit, but looking down at the small, broken leader his eyes carried remorse.

Kneeling down with a slight grimace he retrieved something from his coat pocket and motioned for the girl to hold out her hand. "It's the policy of the huntsmen never to hand out medals for acts of valor..."

Ruby felt something warm placed in her palm and looking down she saw a silver brooch not much larger than a coin with the emblem of the huntsmen between broken pieces of the shattered moon. She turned it over and saw what looked to be great oak leaves scattering in the wind that caught her breath.

Beside her, Yang stiffened as she leaned closer into their embrace and gripped the armrest so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"It's called _The Guardian's Token,_ " Ozpin explained. "Long before the academies were built centuries ago, the huntsmen of old carried emblems similar to this to designate which kingdom they were aligned with. This one represents-"

"Us." Ruby pointed at the trees which she recognized from her field trips north of the campus. "We're ' _The Fall Kingdom'_."

Despite countless civilizations rising from ashes over the centuries in the land now known as Vale, it had always been titled _'The Fall Kingdom'_ due to Forever Fall, the majestic forest that refused to shed its autumn leaves even through the harshest of winters.

"Uncle Qrow has one of these." Ruby spun the brooch in feeling history between her fingers. "I think he got his sometime after graduating."

He slowly nodded. "I thought it appropriate to give to you, miss Rose."

"Thank you," she said breathlessly as Yang played with her red tipped hair as if by habit.

With the help of his cane, the headmaster got to his feet and regarded the team. "Well children, you must be going. Your classes return on Monday and I do not wish to stall you any longer."

His students began to rise with a stiff Yang helping her entranced sister to her feet, both still staring at the emblem when Ozpin spoke up again.

"I would also suggest that you begin writing your official field reports for Professor Oobleck's class, that is if you haven't already finished. It'll take quite some time I'm afraid after the adventure you've all had, and I look forward to reading them."

"I've already finished," Weiss said proudly.

"I'm almost there," Blake admitted.

Neither of the sisters responded as Yang half-dragged, half-carried Ruby out of the office. Once outside she put her little sister between Blake and Weiss while hanging onto the door.

"Take Ruby back to the room." She smiled reassuringly. "I'll catch up in a minute."

Before they could raise any questions, their joyous leader began _skipping_ down the hall causing them both to follow anxiously as it looked more as though she were stumbling on hot coals. Yang waved as the pair glanced back worriedly before closing the door behind her, but not without a final peek at her sister.

"Something the matter, miss Xiao Long?" asked the headmaster.

Yang nodded but kept her gaze on the tile floor where she stared at her reflection.

"Our uncle," she said slowly as if to steady her hand around the handle, "he has the same token."

"Yes, your sister said the same just moments ago." By Goodwitch's dismissive tone, it sounded as though she were chiding her student for not listening in class again.

"He got it from _his_ sister when she died," Yang's voice rose as she glanced up. "My mother..."

Both professors she noted began to stand a little straighter, and the combat instructor's face flickered with shame before tightening.

"My _stepmother_ ," she swallowed. "Ruby's mom, she had one too and I still remember when she threw it into the lake along with her huntress badge when she quit."

Both were silent as the girl bore holes into them with the temperature rising.

"And it's not called _'The Guardian's Token',_ " she snarled. "It's _The Token of the Maiden's Guardian."_ She opened the door turning to leave, but after a brief pause looked back with lilac missing along with her pupils.

"There's also another reason we're called _'The Fall Kingdom',_ " she said calmly with eyes the color of blood. "At Signal, my Uncle Qrow paired me with someone who I became close friends with. We spent countless nights training together because besides him, I was the only other person who couldn't be turned to ash by that kind of aura, and eventually I learned how to hold my own against someone like her.

"Her name's Amber..."

 _'And someone else was able to do more than just hold their own...'_

 _'But I'll find a way to wake her up...'_

 _'Then there will be hell to pay...'_

Yang slammed the door shut causing the pictures on the wall and the professors' coffee to tremble.

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Thank you everyone for the incredible support last chapter as it was special for me to write and the responses I got were amazing. I'm also sorry this chapter has been a little bit of a wait but I needed to take a few days off from editing to sit back and relax, as well as work out some later chapters/details. Thank you as always for being so patient with me. As for this chapter, I had a lot of fun with the interactions and it sounds like something may have happened to Yang's old training partner Amber. If someone hurt her I pity that person when Yang finds them, as well as the person who nearly crippled her sister.** ** _*wink*_**

 **I feel as though I must come out and say here that the reason why Ruby as silver eyes is because her mother also had silver eyes, and that is their significance in this narrative. Neither Summer nor Ruby have any powers relating to their silver eyes besides them occasionally glowing when using their semblances, just like the rest of the characters. Ruby is incredibly skilled, smart, and talented for her age, and as we've seen has many secrets surrounding her, but she is neither a maiden nor has powers pertaining to her eyes. The 'maiden's guardian' is exactly what it sounds like but while I'm building towards a possible/eventual Volume 3 pseudo-novelization there are obviously going to be some changes similarly to "The Patchwork Prodigy", and as you've already seen in this story.** **I dislike giving out so much information in this way but as I've said before, my "end game" is much less dark. I am for instance NOT building towards Yang losing her arm or certain character deaths from Volume 3. I simply do not wish to give the wrong impression or have you believe I'm foreshadowing certain events from Volume 3 as they will/would not take place in a pseudo-novelization when/should the time come. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the ride and do not mind the alterations to the story and characters as I have the utmost respect for their creators. They are simply to tell the story I wish to tell.**

 **Once again, thank you all for the incredible support and kindness you've shown me. Thank you for all of the follows, favorites, reviews, shout outs, PMs, and humble readers. I simply can't thank you enough. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has blessed me with all of you and made this story possible. God bless)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Seeing Double

* * *

 _*CLOMP, CLOMP*_

Heavy boots echoed throughout the halls and Blake with her sensitive hearing could detect even the sharpest of breaths masked under stomps that were undoubtedly being heard in the dorm rooms above. As the panting turned the corner, she caught Yang just in time to see her scroll close with the words _'message sent'_ flicker on screen.

The partners' eyes caught momentarily but the raven haired girl slowly turned her attention back to Ruby, who despite being entranced by the silver brooch was cautiously taking each step as if her feet could fall off at any moment. Both she and Weiss were hovering on either side of their leader but if the younger girl noticed their presence she didn't acknowledge them. Her more observant teammates on the other hand were keenly aware of how the once perky girl had started her journey smiling ear to ear, but was now struggling to keep her face impassive, something normally effortless for her during battle.

Yang couldn't help but smile however as a sense of peace swelled within her chest assured that her friends were looking after her baby sister and unknowingly attempting to wear the massive shoes that she herself were still trying to fill. Her warm aura instinctively flared at the comforting scene and attentive pair, but she quickly forced the embers to fade as the paintings of Forever Fall that decorated the walls began to tremble as she passed, and the last thing she wanted was to be sent to the office for setting something _else_ on fire.

With deep breaths her long strides shortened as she fell in line between her sister and Weiss whose compassionate eyes became piercing.

"Care to explain what that was about?" she asked, glancing up at the unusually pale face.

"Not really," Yang answered, putting her hands atop her head in an attempt to satisfy her starving lungs. "I just wanted to warn Glynda about Ruby's cookie jars possibly being rigged to explode, and also not to snoop around my scroll or side of the closet unless she wanted to be scarred for life."

Weiss, noticing the sweat on her brow and fearing her new favorite jacket being tarnished, began distancing herself from the perspiring girl as well as her unsavory device that they'd all been warned to stay away from for their own well being.

"Then why are you out of breath?" Blake asked coolly.

Yang shrugged and followed her sister's gaze. "Guess I need to exercise more," she replied.

Weiss rolled her eyes and gave the girl in black a sideways glance but Blake shook her head. Her partner having learned from her past mistakes had been sure to close the door so she and the professors weren't overheard, but it didn't take faunus senses to detect the violent aura from her waning semblance, the gleam in her darkened eyes, or the unmistakable smell of burning hair as heat radiated off her body.

"Sweet souvenir, sis!" Yang slapped the back of Ruby's hand causing the emblem to soar through the air.

"Hey!?"

The leader stood up on her toes but as usual her towering sister's catch went completely uncontested.

"Give it back!" Ruby ordered as she clung to the thick arm attempting to drag it down using her entire body weight.

Yang having picked up the pace didn't seem to notice as black boots with red frills dangled nearly a foot off the ground, and opening her mouth it seemed as though she wanted to find out if the emblem was real silver or not with her teeth, but with a deft motion Blake plucked it away and handed it back to the smallest member of the team.

With her tongue sticking out, Ruby relinquished the hold and much to her surprise glimpsed the brass elevator doors down the hall, something she hadn't been expecting for several more agonizing minutes.

"The huntsmen of old weren't that amazing anyway," Yang stifled a yawn.

Down below, her sister acted as though she'd been shot from the way she held her chest, and by the sly grin tugging on her lips Blake knew that had been her partner's desired reaction.

"How can you say that!?" Ruby cried. "They were the original huntsmen before the academies were built! They didn't have textbooks or combat instructors to learn from! Everything they knew had been passed down or they learned for themselves!"

"Precisely," Weiss said raising her chin. "Which is exactly why we're so much better equipped for fighting Grimm than they ever dreamed of being."

Yang chuckled obviously pleased with the turn in conversation.

"I'm going to side with Ruby," Blake replied eyeing the always contentious blonde.

"Big surprise," she winked. "It's because of all your romance novels where every _foxy_ huntress gets a happy ending isn't it?" She wagged her eyebrows at the faunus whose expression mirrored that of the _Ice Queen's_. "Sometimes more than one..."

"They were just so cool!" Ruby gushed as her sister received a slap to the back of the head which only seemed to encourage her.

"Even if most of their weapons didn't transform they were still superheroes back then!"

"And legends today," Blake grumbled as she massaged her throbbing and possibly broken hand.

The unconvinced heiress shook her head. "The huntsmen of old still weren't half as well-trained or educated as we are about using aura or semblances. They also didn't have anything near the quality of dust that we do, courtesy of my family's company of course, and I highly doubt any of them imagined an idiot as insane as you would ever combine a sniper rifle with a scythe and be _somewhat_ competent with it."

She glanced at the deathtrap attached to her partner's belt, there instead of her weapons locker in case she suddenly needed of a crutch or place to sit and rest. This was somewhat of a convenient excuse however as Ruby normally carried Crescent Rose everywhere she went, even occasionally sleeping with it and once or twice having been caught bathing together, which Ruby swore had only been to save time on cleanup despite the rubber duck attachment and bubbles shooting out the barrel.

"And a flaming rapier that can create icebergs and shoot lightning isn't insane?" Yang smirked.

"Humph!" Weiss raised her still bandaged dueling arm and gracefully cut through the air as if she were wielding her cold and merciless Myrtenaster.

"I will have you know that Multi Action Dust Rapiers have been used for centuries, long before the academies were founded and going back to the golden age when Mantel's queens sat on ivory throne in the City of Atlas," she said, accentuating her courtly accent it sounded as though she were sculpting her words out of ice like a masterful artist.

"They are the definition of functionality, practicality, and elegance, and their wielders unrivaled in skill, which is why no one but Atlesians have ever won the world fencing tournament." The junior champion closed her eyes visualizing the snow topped mountains and skyscrapers of her former home before bowing to an unseen audience which earned curious looks from her teammates, particularly from the resident weapons expert.

"MADRs aren't practical for front line combat, Weiss, you know that." Ruby furrowed her brow. "They're slow to reload, burn through dust in minutes, and if you don't keep their cylinders perfectly clean they'll jam in the middle of battle."

"Every weapon has its limitations even if they're as _trivial_ as you say." She waved her hand as if brushing the criticisms aside. "But that didn't stop Atlas from ruling the world, and it won't stop me."

Ruby turned her head puzzled as either her mouth or brain began speeding ahead with the other barely keeping up. "But then don't you have the huntsmen of old to thank for making them?! They're the biggest reasons why Mantle and later Atlas were able keep the kingdoms from separating for so long, besides using Grimm of course, but that was before everyone else started using guns!"

As she gasped for breath, her absently minded hand grazed her beloved sniper rifle, which in ages past had been the favored weapon for dealing with northern nobility who had seen the destructive power of firearms as cowardly and barbaric even to the end of their reign. "And isn't the world fencing trophy named after one of Atlas' greatest huntress?"

Although her chatter throughout had been warm and friendly, albeit also perplexed, Yang and Blake's faces were beaming as the heiress' own carefully sculpted words had been used against her by a girlwhose mouth and brain often acted as bitter enemies.

"Yes..." Weiss said dropping her gaze. "She was also a princess..."

The girls patted their leader on the back which seemed to only further her confusion, as well as Weiss' irritation to their amusement.

"Not bad for someone who can barely pay attention in class," Yang praised. "I knew buying all those weapon magazines to keep you from blowing up the house was worth every lien."

With an embarrassed shrug Ruby took one final look at the emblem that had once been given to her heroes before pocketing it, earning her an arm's embrace from her sister as they continued walking with her aching feet barely skimming the floor the further she leaned in.

Blake glanced over to the girl in white after noticing her footsteps sounded as though she were walking on snow and saw a faraway look about her.

"To be fair to Atlas," she said nearly choking on the foreign words, "they may have conquered everyone by letting Grimm do the job for them so they could pick up the pieces, but it's not like the other kingdoms and territories were innocent either, and that includes the faunus. Maybe some things don't change..."

Blake nearly looked away as the sound of her own morose tone had the opposite effect she'd intended even on herself, but with expensive heels now echoing with purpose the pair caught eyes.

"Or maybe they have," Weiss replied with an air of optimism.

The teammates matched sympathetic smiles but Blake found herself avoiding the left eye of the heiress before clearing her throat.

"I guess Variant Ballistic Chain Scythes like Gambol Shroud don't exactly have _innocent_ beginnings either, especially katanas from Menagerie," she admitted. "While everyone else was too busy fighting each other instead of monsters, we were wearing Grimm masks long before the White Fang and actually thought the faunus and Grimm could co-exist together."

Weiss slowly nodded as she knew some about the archaic days of the southernmost territory when followers of Grimm wishing to harness their malevolence still existed, and was all too familiar with the curved blades created in Mistral before becoming favored outside the kingdoms, particularly among faunus and eventually the White Fang. Out of fear she had never asked how exactly such an exotic weapon fell into her friend's hands, and her life having been saved countless times by the black blade made it easy for her to ignore its past.

As if by nervous habit Blake tugged on her bow making sure it was still in place. "Gambol Shroud's even less practical for front lines, goes through bullets in seconds, _used_ to jam all the time, and-" Her eyes twinkled as a genuine smile appeared.

"-and if it wasn't for our neurotic engineer's meddling, we'd both be dead right now," Weiss finished once again mirroring her expression.

Together their eyes followed the small girl who didn't seem to be paying attention to anyone else but the blonde who was subtly carrying her, and with her long strides leading the way they soon arrived at the brass doors where Yang waved a hand for her sister to do the honors.

With a deep breath, Ruby walked on her own and after some reluctance pressed the down arrow.

"Uh, Rubes?" Yang pointed above. "The room's upstairs."

The leader was silent as she glanced between concerned faces with a lopsided smile that seemed almost painful to wear.

"If it's okay with y'all," she paused looking up at her sister, "I wanna go downstairs to the machine shop and work on Crescent Rose. She's chipped everywhere including her blade, and I need to take her completely apart to make sure she's not hurt. Then I'll need to repaint her..."

Ruby lightly brushed her hand across the claw marks that covered the six foot sniper-scythe that she so often treated as a small child, but despite the tender touch and fondness in her voice, they could hear the weariness as her slight accent returned. From the faint shadows under her eyes they could also tell she hadn't slept in days. While sleepless nights weren't uncommon for her, they were never seen affecting the young girl who sometimes spent multiple nights a week quietly working on Crescent Rose in the bathroom so she didn't wake her slumbering roommates with her insomnia.

"It's just down the hall from the training rooms and our prep room. I wouldn't be far and since it's in the underground I wouldn't even technically be leaving the dorm." She looked up at her friends with pleading eyes, but no more so than her sister whose face was as stone.

 _'Please...'_

Weiss and Blake shared nervous glances but respectfully turned to Yang who after a long silence finally nodded and rolled up her sleeves.

"While you're at it, would you mind tinkering with Ember Celica for me, sis?" she asked, removing the golden bracelets. "Pyrrha straightened the barrels but they still need a lot of work and could use a fresh coat of paint."

Silver eyes brightened seemingly for the first time in days as Yang passed her beloved weapons over to Ruby who slipped them on effortlessly. With the slightest motion the gauntlets activated and nearly fell off her much less muscular arms causing them both to chuckle.

"She'll be as good as new," Ruby promised, raising her fists as warm and comforting aura spread throughout her body.

The elevator doors opened beckoning her but before she could take off Yang pulled her into an embrace.

"Rubes," she whispered in her ear, "don't be ashamed if you need to call me. I'll come get you, and everyone already knows how you _fall asleep_ at your station."

 _'No one will know the difference, sis...'_ Her aura continued.

Ruby nodded as she didn't trust herself to speak, and after cleaning something out of her eye she waved goodbye as the doors began to close.

"You'll be alright," Yang promised. "Just don't do anything stupid, because that's my job."

Their leader disappeared but not before they heard the soft laughter and giggles that always made the blonde's heart flutter, and now did the same to her friends.

"You'll be alright..." she repeated.

After seemingly an eternity of staring at their disfigured selves in the reflective brass, an impatient foot began tapping the tile floor.

"So..." Weiss drawled. "We're just letting Ruby wander off to the most likely place to lose a limb when she can't even get in and out of her own bunk without someone's help?"

Blake glanced at her partner unsure herself if this had been a wise decision. Yang's hand hovered over the button her sister had pressed as she read the three worried faces reflected back at her, but finally she pushed the opposite arrow with a loose fist that tightened upon seeing lilac.

"Ruby's going to the one place where she always feels at home and where she'll feel the most useful right now," she murmured as if to herself.

Weiss shifted her weight uncomfortably. "But is it really a good idea to leave her alone right now?"

"She's not alone," Yang corrected as she grabbed them by the shoulders. "Ruby has Crescent Rose and Ember Celica, and to her they're family, just like-."

 _*bing*_

With a sigh and her arms still around the pair, Yang stepped aboard and immediately engulfed the elevator in sunlight. Both girls grimaced before shielding their eyes and suddenly received flashbacks from the time their leader had held them hostage until she was guaranteed rightful dibs on all button pressings along with a list of other senseless demands, all the while they were late for their first day of school.

When the doors mercifully opened they were given no other choice but to follow her back to the room as the alternative was being dragged indignantly.

"And just like that Ruby will gone for the rest of the day..." Yang stated mischievously with an extra bounce to her step.

Blake raised a brow at Weiss who would've done the same if she wasn't struggling to keep up with their much longer legs.

Finally they arrived at the familiar stain at front of their door, but before it could fly open Blake hastily hid behind her teammates so the rabid corgi would devour them instead.

"So what's your plan?" Weiss asked as Yang tackled Zwei onto her unkempt bunk. "My binders don't exactly have _'Best Day Ever Activities'_ written on the cover in crayon."

"Actually..." Yang sat up with a suggestive grin covering her face, as well as dog drool which caused Blake to shudder. "One of us has a date tonight on the bad side of town."

Both girls' mouths fell open and they blinked several times to make sure they'd heard right while the girl went right back to rubbing a certain corgi's neglected tummy.

"A friend told me about him over drinks the other day, and if he's telling the truth then Ruby-"

"What if she calls you for help!?" Weiss shouted. "You _just_ hugged your sister and told her that you'd be _here_ for her! Are we supposed to cover for you again and tell her _'Sorry, but your so-called 'loving' sister went out for school stuff again'_ even though we all know that's a lie!?"

Yang shook her head. "Ruby asking me or anyone else for help right now is about as likely as her passing out from low blood sugar. And she's spent entire days working in the machine shop on our weapons when they weren't half as damaged so she probably won't be done until around midnight, if not later. By then she'll hopefully be comatose at her station so she doesn't crawl back on her hands and knees."

She chuckled, and stretched out on her bed while flying Zwei like a bullhead. "Someone's gonna sleep good tonight but it's not gonna be me!"

Weiss stomped her foot and glared at the larger girl who seemed to find humor in the situation.

"I wish I could say I can't believe you but I can!" she cried, finding her unapologetic smile sickening. "Have fun tonight and try not to wake us when you stumble back in the morning smelling like a brewery and God knows what else in front of your sister!" Yang's jaw set and she seemed about to speak but she wasn't finished. "She can barely walk right now! How can you say Ruby's the most important thing in your life when you're using her for free labor while you and some stranger-"

She was cut off by Yang suddenly rolling off her bunk, and Blake quickly moved between the two while Zwei covered his eyes. She could see a flicker of hurt on her partner's otherwise stone-like face, as well as a sliver of fear on Weiss', but to the smaller girl's credit she didn't blink as icy blue eyes bore into the lilac orbs of the blonde who doted over her little sister like a mother hen with the temperament of a grizzly.

Slowly, Yang reached underneath her mattress and both girls' aura shields instinctively activated as even in her current condition neither doubted that Yang Xiao Long could fight through an entire army if she or her fiery semblance were pushed too far, and they knew from experience just how effortless it'd be for her to break the heiress' jaw if not her entire skull even while holding back.

"Yang," her partner soothed. "Let's calm down and-"

Without warning, crimson streaked across the room and even with her superior reflexes, Blake barely ducked in time meaning Weiss wasn't as fortunate.

"EEEEEPPPP!"

After a moment of watching her flail about in panic, the wide girl in black turned. "But you said it wasn't ready?"

"I lied," Yang laughed, thoroughly enjoying the carnage as the trashcan nearly flew out the window by a well placed kick.

When Weiss finally realized she wasn't having her skull caved in she stopped thrashing and noticed she was wrapped in something oddly familiar and warm.

"Ruby's cape!?" she exclaimed as her head poked out. "But you said it was still being fixed!"

"I've had a lot of practice over the years," Yang admitted as she retrieved two cross shaped silver pendants from her pocket.

The sunlight seemed to fade the longer she stared at her open hand, but finally she glanced at her friends who winced as she blinked back moistness from her darkened eyes.

"Before my tenth birthday I was baking Ruby's cookies, making her peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, getting her ready for school, putting band-aids on her skinned knees, ordering her to brush her teeth, telling her that I love her before kissing her goodnight, and crawling into bed with her _every_ night because of her nightmares from when she watched the woman she loved more than anything die to protect her. And I'll _never_ be half the _mom_ that she was."

Blake and Weiss looked away ashamed and feeling unworthy to even look at the slightly older girl who at times filled the void of someone they never truly had that was greater than just a friend or teammate.

"Dad was there but most of the time he really wasn't, and our uncle wasn't much better those first few months when things were miserable." Her fist tightened as well as her voice. "And I don't care if anyone thinks I'm a lousy big sister, a terrible role model, or even a poor excuse for a _mom!_ I have given it _everything_ I have even when I didn't have anything left to give, and I would do it _all_ over again in a heartbeat for her!"

Yang swallowed as if the words were stuck on the back of her throat. "I wasn't there for the worst day of Ruby's life when she needed me the most, but I was there the day after and the day after that when no one else was, and I will protect that little girl until it kills me."

She stooped down and Weiss held her breath as the cape was straightened and fastened to her collar by the expert.

"I'm sorry..." she choked, unable to look her friend in the eye.

"Me too..." Blake murmured with her eyes still on the floor.

A cold knife had been twisted in the girls' chests but they knew it was nothing compared to the ice they'd stabbed into her's.

"I'm sorry," Weiss repeated. "I really am and I didn't mean it, but why-"

Yang pulled the hood down over her contrite face leaving her almost completely blind.

Shaking slightly, Weiss raised her head and saw lilac beaming back at her as she made minor adjustments to the cape and pendants.

"Because I'm not the one with a date," she grinned as all eyes were drawn to the comforting rays of sunshine filling the room.

"You are, _sis..."_

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Once again I must apologize for the infrequency of updates as of late which have been due to internet issues and some other things going on, and thank you all for being so incredibly patient with me. A lot of love goes into writing this story and it's always been my wish for this narrative to feel as close to an official RWBY novel as possible, and it makes me so happy being able to share this story with you. Thank you for all of the support on the rough days where I look at the computer and the last thing I want to do is start editing, because when I see someone's kind words I feel the Lord's blessings on me and I find myself smiling even several hours into an editing session. Thank you.**

 **As for this chapter, I had a blast as I really enjoy showing off the sisterly relationship of team RWBY, and this one especially because of Yang and Weiss' personalities clashing over Ruby. Anytime I can temporarily remove the "party girl" image of Yang or the "coldness" from Weiss I have a lot of fun seeing who they are underneath and wondering for myself just how much is an act. Also, it l** **ooks like Yang heard about someone over drinks a few of days ago and it's related to Ruby, sounds interesting as I doubt it's a simple _date_. Also just as a side note, I generally think of Yang as being about 5'9 or 5'10 in this story with Blake about an inch shorter than her but a lot skinnier. This doesn't really add anything but it's something I wanted to point out as it's similar to Weiss' scar being more pronounced, characters' accents, or how I've written Blake wearing mostly black in the past. With any story though the interpretations are up to you and your incredible imagination, and I honestly really enjoy hearing your interpretations on these characters and their personalities.**

 **Once again thank you for all of the support, followers, favorites, reviews, shout outs, PMs, and humble readers. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has blessed me with you and made this story possible. God bless)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A Rose of a Different Color

* * *

Groans escaped from behind gritted teeth as a small figure pressed her back against the steel door specifically designed to contain roars of machinery, as well as high grade dust explosions which were evidenced by its scorch marks.

Light seeped into darkness as the heavy door creaked open just enough for the visitor to squeeze through with her eyes tightly shut. Once inside, the aroma of sweat and grease caused her nostrils to flare, but it was the taste of metal that gave her pause to savor the long awaited moment.

Without need of light, her hand flipped a nearby switch causing her ears to buzz as machinery hummed to life, and her eyelids fluttered open as a beautiful world was illuminated just for her.

"Home sweet home," Ruby said with a wide smile.

Despite her senses being overwhelmed she took a moment to acknowledge the hallowed ground her unsteady legs were now standing upon. Although her partner called it a _'glorified dungeon that reeked of labor'_ , the legendary machine shop still gave her goosebumps as this had been her childhood fantasy when taking apart all things mechanical before putting them back together twice as efficient as they'd been found.

As much as she had enjoyed the special privileges Signal afforded her being the combat instructor's niece and the daughter of a tenured professor, nothing could compare to having full reign at Beacon or the solitude it afforded.

Unlike most other combat schools, her's had required that all students construct and maintain their own weapons, which meant the machine shop was busy even at the dullest of times, but not so at Beacon where she had been astonished to learn that because most students couldn't fully repair their weapons on their own, they would find either a professional shop in the city or a skilled fellow student which was much more convenient, and subsequently was the reason why Ruby's cookie allowance had nearly tripled since arriving.

A slight grimace hung off the side of her face as she limped past dozens of power saws, drills, and fabricators to the workbench she had claimed the first day of school. It was at the heart of the massive machine shop which could've easily fit forty to fifty students but rarely ever saw two at a time. And because she visited so frequently, many of the stations were organized to her personal liking with even the equipment laying out being what suited her needs the most.

Her long pilgrimage came to an end with a whimper as she practically collapsed onto her cushioned stool and felt immediate relief throughout her entire body, but no more so than her tormented feet. Shutting her eyes again a few of her sister's favorite curses popped in her mind, and so as to focus on something other than pain she began dialing the lock combinations she'd placed at her station which just so happened to be the serial numbers to her rifle's many attachments.

Opening the cabinets and sliding open the drawers were an assortment of seemingly random objects and custom tools she'd _borrowed_ from Signal, as well as a supply of chocolate bars that often substituted for breakfast, lunch, and occasionally dinner when it arrived too late. Tucked safely away from the grease and chocolate however was an ivory pillow with snowflake designs which she had discovered under her head one restless night along with a thick book titled _'MADR Maintenance for Dummies, Dolts, and Dodos'_ which she found incredibly useful for propping up weapons or for when her mallet was out of reach.

With the lurid protests beginning to quiet, her hand skipped over a pair of earplugs in favor of red headphones with goggles welded on, and she quickly found a suitable playlist to hum along to. Reaching into another drawer she felt an unnatural chill travel down her spine and retrieved a bottle of water which she eagerly drank from before returning it to the unusually cold storage that not even bright lamps could penetrate.

Now with her _selfish_ needs assuaged, Ruby removed Ember Celica which had been pushed nearly up to her shoulders and gently placed them onto the workbench. She followed this by unclipping Crescent Rose from her ammo belt and afterward stretched thankful to be rid of the burdens on her stiff arms and lower-back. With her aura low and muscles still recovering, it felt as though she were now floating despite the weapons having been made from incredibly light yet durable metal, and her belt being specially designed to lessen the load on her small frame.

Taking an almost apologetic look at her badly damaged rifle, she set it aside before shaking her head at the just as shabby looking gauntlets. Although her sister preferred to pretend otherwise, she was just as capable an engineer even if she wasn't nearly as passionate about weapons as she was motorcycles. She knew Yang could've repaired her gauntlets just as easily and probably twice as quickly as herself, but Ruby was always appreciative of her trust and understanding as she loved weapons with an enthusiasm that was often described as unhealthy, even by the elder sister herself despite being just as happy from seeing her smile.

"You'll be as good as new in no time," she assured as if comforting a child.

Within minutes Ember Celica was almost completely disassembled with its many parts scattered about the table, but the girl took her time enjoying the warm aura that tickled her fingers. With each nut and bolt she could feel everything her dauntless sister embodied made manifest in these stylish golden bracelets that transformed into Dual Ranged Shot Gauntlets at the slightest hint of trouble, and were just as unstoppable as they were indestructible.

Ruby truly believed that weapons were extensions of their wielder, and unless it was absolutely necessary she refused to replace even the tiniest of screws of her teammates' weapons as it would be like discarding a piece of them as well. She didn't care if countless hours of reshaping twisted metal could've easily been halved and were her punishment for not simply reaching for a spare screw or using a fabricator, and likewise she didn't mind the curious looks this practice earned her. They had all saved her life countless times and in her fingertips she could literally feel the souls and personalities of the people closest to her, and she would treat even their metal shavings with the respect and care they deserved.

Every time Myrtenaster's cylinder was loosened she learned something new about her partner and found an even greater appreciation for the cold aura that seemingly sucked all the warmth out of the room but was actually quite mild to the touch, and the same was true for Gambol Shroud which seemed content hiding in the shadows despite its complex versatility speaking more than its owner's tight lips ever could.

Humorously, she often compared it to the way Weiss, Blake, and especially her sister had similar problems with throwing away old clothes, but they assured her their reasons were entirely different before pointing out their leader was just as bad if not worse.

Perhaps then by coincidence or because of her sister's aura engulfing the room, the air conditioning kicked on and she had to restrain herself from pulling down the old hood but couldn't help glancing back at the absent cape that should've been billowing and keeping her warm.

Despite _far_ too many years having passed for it to be even remotely possible, Ruby still liked to imagine her mom's aura wrapped around the cloak keeping her company. She could vividly remember the white rose petals that mended her skinned knees whenever she fell, and although she would never tell a soul, sometimes she pretended her own rose scented aura belonged to someone else.

A gentle hand touched her stomach as thoughts of her mother flooded her mind, but it began to shake upon realizing what she'd unwittingly done. Slowly, she moved the hand to the hem of her baggy shirt and felt for the soft skin just above her belly button, but instead found thin scars traveling up her chest.

Ruby nearly choked on the lump in her throat as she didn't recognize a few from the day before when three more had been discovered deeper than the rest, and her body began to tremble as sickness and dread filled her heart for a reason she couldn't quite understand, and the workshop began to feel lonely for the first time since she could remember.

Her frightened hand lingered over the once torn skin as something dark and familiar called out from the recesses of her mind when suddenly it felt as though she'd touched a hot stove with her other hand causing her to nearly fall out of her seat.

"Ahhh!" she cried, quickly clutching and blowing on it.

Startled, she looked down and saw Ember Celica's plating glowing as if her sister's lingering aura had instinctively reacted to danger. She marveled for a moment before setting both hands atop the metal, and despite knowing better she flared her semblance. The burning sensation continued but soon the anticipated feeling of comfort washed over her and she chuckled as once again the gauntlets proved they were exactly like their owner.

Feeling exhausted and slightly dizzy, Ruby wiped something from her eye unsure how long it'd been there, and soon forgot about the disturbing scars and nightmarish whispers as she went back to work smiling and humming along to the deafening music as there was no other place she'd rather be tonight than locked away in her dungeon.

However, having the sudden wish for the other half of her family to join her, she reopened the drawer with the water bottle and retrieved a handful of crosses, buttons, rings, and other small accessories that either had tiny snowflakes falling from them or swirls of darkness dancing in the light.

Just because she was sometimes forced to replace weapon parts that didn't mean she had to completely throw them away...

* * *

A pair of cold, merciless eyes shined beneath a red hood glaring at the makeup mirror on the desk that mocked her with words almost too foul to utter.

"I have become the dolt," said the caped-girl. "My nightmare has become a reality."

Over her shoulder, Blake stifled a laugh too late and was met with the same murderous scowl that only furthered the aching of her sides.

"This is ludicrous and it'll never work!" Standing up, the hood flew off revealing black hair with red tips that fell in her eyes, which she attempted to rip away as well but was stopped by a hand much larger than her own.

"Now, _Ruby_ ," Yang chided like only an older sister could, "we need you looking your best for your _date_ tonight."

Weiss snarled releasing the wig as she knew struggling was pointless, but only after stomping her foot in frustration which sounded much less dramatic in cumbersome boots.

"Would someone please explain again why _I'm_ the one who has to play dress up!"

Yang looking all too pleased to answer crossed her arms over her chest and batted her eyelashes. "Because Blake and I don't shop in the little girls department like you and my sister."

With a cheeky grin almost too wide for her face, Yang raised a hand level to her mane before gradually lowering it down to Weiss who began fuming as her silky hair was tousled.

"Without heels the two of you are practically the same height," Blake added as she fought a fit of laughter still recovering from the last, "and no one wants to see Yang trying to fit into Ruby's clothes again."

"Speak for yourselves," the blonde teased. "We would've never had to pay dinner that night if you'd have just let me answer the door."

Blake shook her head trying to rid herself of the disturbing image while Weiss narrowed her eyes at the outfit she had purchased for her partner wishing for her to wear something other than her so-called huntress attire, but instead had inadvertently given her another ensemble of unsuitable combat apparel that Weiss swore was done just to irritate her.

Yang taking notice of the disapproving grimace dug into her jacket with a smirk. "Not that you had much to choose from, but I'm surprised you went with a corset, especially after how _well_ the other one went."

She held up her scroll displaying the scarlet faced heiress standing in front of the bathroom mirror as she futilely attempted to adjust the restrictive clothing unaware of the door slightly ajar.

Weiss let out a deep growl as the pair nearly fell over with tears in their eyes.

"First of all this is a pinafore not a corset," she corrected, motioning down at the black apron-like garment with red laces on its sides worn atop a long sleeve gray shirt that went with a red skirt, dark leggings, and knee high black boots that of course also had red laces. "Second, she doesn't even wear _real_ corsets. They're all just tight blouses with waist cinchers."

"That undoubtedly bring back fond memories of you sipping ice tea at the country club," Blake remarked.

Weiss glanced at her unamused. "Quite."

"What was wrong with wearing little Rubes' corset?" Yang asked feigning innocence. "Was it too tight on you? That's a shame..."

The caped-girl's left eye twitched and a vein poked out the side of her head as she saw just how many compromising pictures had been taken without her consent or knowledge, some of which having _amusing_ titles that only Yang's morbid mind could've thought up.

"As you can clearly see it didn't _fit_ correctly," Weiss replied between her teeth.

"Yep, sure can," she agreed beaming at the priceless album.

Her sister for reasons different than herself, liked her clothes a little _snug_ as it was a common huntsman practice that let one's aura shield better protect their clothing and therefore absorb aura more quickly for added protection. She claimed this also helped her run faster, but despite her practical way of thinking she still wore an impractically long cape and a combat skirt which gave the older sister hope for her future.

"I thought for sure it'd fit," Yang sighed, shaking her head in faux disappointment having kept to herself that the corset _might_ have been outgrown and without the elastic band her sister now sometimes wore, and also the fact that Ruby's huntress attire was practically an added layer of skin at this point being able to bend at her aura's will.

Weiss rubbed her temples so as to relieve the ever growing migraine. "I still don't understand why I can't just wear my uniform and still disguise myself as Ruby," she wined.

Both girls' smiles faded but a hint of amusement twinkled in their eyes as they shared a knowing look.

"Because wearing a school uniform on the bad side of town isn't a very good idea," Blake answered rather stiffly.

"Especially with how high the skirt rises," Yang winked.

Weiss' face flushed red and she quickly wrapped the cloak around herself as if to protect her modesty which was already concealed beneath long clothing that despite its restrictiveness was designed to obscure the wearer's figure and any curves they might have.

"What's the point of wearing her cloak if I can't even hide?" she seethed. "Also, there is such a thing as leggings and shorts, which everyone but you wear underneath _."_

"I practically _only_ wear shorts," Yang replied, pointing out her long pants which were subsequently one of the very few pair she owned as proof.

"Emphasis on _shorts_..." Blake muttered.

"And indecency..."

"Hey!" she said suddenly defensive. "For the record I have _technically_ never broken the school dress code, and it's not my fault that ever since you two refused to eat anymore of my cooking, that I've _just-so-happened_ to get us free delivery whenever _I_ answer the door."

She smirked looking rather pleased with herself while Blake reluctantly bobbed her head as she kinda had a point. Although her partner never particularly bragged, even without trying she made heads turn wherever she went and enjoyed watching her countless admirers go out of their way to impress her to little or no avail.

"What is your obsession with free food!?" Weiss exclaimed. "I've seen the allowance your father sends the two of you so I know full well you can afford it!"

"Food tastes better when it's free and delivered by sweaty guys choking on their tongues," Yang nearly purred. "And as far as wearing Ruby's clothes go, it also wasn't my fault that _somebody_ forgot to do laundry but still decided to throw _everything_ I own into the dirty clothes bin."

The heiress was shot an accusatory look that caused her to stand up on the tips of her toes in defiance. "After you returned from the first of _many_ Saturday night escapades, I decided they were legitimate health concerns, and in case you've forgotten, I HAD NEVER DONE LAUNDRY BEFORE! And how was I supposed to know that Beacon wouldn't provide maids or that we were even taking turns!?"

"Well if you hadn't been such a spoiled princess thinking the world revolves around them-"

"Enough," Blake grumbled, having grown tired of the argument that had become habitual to the point both girls were staring at her as if she'd interrupted their favorite game before the best part.

Glancing back at the flustered caped-girl, Yang's expression softened but carried the same weariness from hours prior as if it'd never left.

"Weiss, you can't pretend to be Ruby without the cape, but it doesn't hurt at least looking the part," she said growing serious. "Info brokers remember their clients and this guy being a wolf faunus means he'll be even harder to fool, and more dangerous. The better you can pass off as my sister and not a Schnee the safer you'll be tonight."

The resident faunus nodded but didn't seem particularly at ease, and Weiss stole another look at herself in the large makeup mirror frowning at all that had been stripped of her former self.

Her glamorous nail polish had been removed as Ruby seldom wore any unless instructed by her teammates, and afterward had fought valiantly to keep her diamond earrings to the point they practically had to be yanked out of her ears, and wasn't even allowed a glimpse of the red gemstones her partner had worn _once_ to the dance but never before.

She had also been forced into the shower to wash away her expensive perfume in favor of something rose scented that Ruby would've never needed but her sister had bought just for the occasion along with the wig. This had also removed her many layers of expertly applied makeup, but she was now wearing twice as many in order to cover the deep scar over her left eye in its entirety. This meant giving her a somewhat unnatural appearance however as Weiss had long since found the balance between concealing the scar's prominence and herself not looking like a clown.

To her the lengthy process had made her face even more unseemly and undignified, but Yang had repeatedly assured her that she looked great and this was simply an extra precaution as no one was supposed to see under the hood anyway, but she couldn't help feeling humiliated by how long it'd taken just for the hideous scar to look _passable,_ all the while Blake had furtively averted her eyes as if unable to stomach its appearance.

"Ruby has slabs for feet and her boots are too wide," Weiss stated, her sharp tone rising. "Red and black are _not_ my colors, and her clothes are too tight which I don't understand when I'm much more petite than your brawny sister."

Both girls glanced at one another hearing the indignation as well as distress and desperation that crept into her voice as no one in their right mind would ever describe little Ruby Rose as _'brawny'_. Although she was deceptively muscular, their small leader was wiry compared to them and occasionally looked as though she could stand to eat more, something she had in common with her partner who despite being just a hair taller always seemed undersized, especially before meals started being delivered almost nightly to the room.

Yang seemed to make a show of sighing deeply before motioning at the girl's outfit. "They're too tight on Ruby too. She just doesn't want to upset you by not wearing them."

Weiss opened her mouth but found herself at a loss as she continued.

"Besides the clothes we weren't able to salvage from the mission, she's been wearing and fighting in this the most here recently, which means there should be some leftover aura that'll hopefully help fool the guy into thinking you're Ruby." After a brief pause Yang pointed at the wrist scrolls now beneath all their sleeves. "But more importantly, without much of an aura shield you might need all the help you can get tonight."

Weiss looked down not having considered this, and with her temper cooling she found herself breathing easier and feeling much less confined. And perhaps it was just her imagination, but she thought she felt the cape flutter and began wondering if the aroma of roses wasn't coming from the body wash and perfume.

"What's this all about?" she asked barely a whisper. "We know this is obviously about Ruby, but you haven't exactly given us much to go on."

The caped-girl's heartbeat was audible when she didn't get an immediate response. "Is she in some kind of trouble?" her voice cracked despite already guessing the answer.

Blake glanced over at her partner expectantly but Yang simply let out a breath before stooping down to straighten the cross pendants fastened to the red cape, and rising again she regarded the concerned girl as if seeing someone else.

"A few weeks before school started I found Rubes walking on the wrong side of town in a not so great neighborhood," she said now playing with the wig. "She promised me she was just passing through, and because I wanted to believe her I did."

"Doesn't sound like you believed her," Blake noted, raising a calculative brow as her partner continued.

"We split up and just a few hours later I got a call just telling me that Ruby was at the police station and to come get her to take her home. Normally I would've been proud to hear about my baby sister's first run in with the law without me, but it scared me half to death because of where I'd just seen her, and after speeding through every red light in the city I got the best news in the entire world."

She radiated sunlight remembering it as if it were yesterday. "I wasn't coming to Beacon alone. Ruby and I were coming together just like it should be, and I was so happy I decided to just play dumb blonde and forget I ever saw her that evening."

Yang wore a genuinely sheepish smile which rarely ever graced her face while the other two listened intently having never heard the story from the older sister's perspective, and earlier had just been told enough to do as she said.

"I didn't ask any more questions or push the issue with her because it's not like I have room to talk." She gave them a weak lopsided grin. "I've done my fair share of stupid stuff, and I was about her age when I started going out looking for trouble at night. Heck, when we ran into each other I'd just finished clearing out a club after having a couple of drinks, and that's not exactly smart when you're seventeen."

"Or legal," Blake remarked, though she knew she didn't have any right to judge either.

"Especially when you're training to be a huntress at Beacon of all places," Weiss added softly.

Yang nodded and gave the tender smile that she generally reserved for the other girl who wore the cape. "I'll be the first to admit I'm not exactly a saint, but if my baby sister's in trouble I'm going to help her even if she's too proud to tell me."

"Ruby would never get into _that_ kind of trouble," Weiss said quickly.

She beamed appreciating the words that were backed up by her partner's unconcerned expression.

"I know, but if she's seeing an info broker behind my back I still need to find out why, and I also wouldn't mind getting Summer's money back while I'm at it."

This time both girls raised their brows in confusion while Yang's awkward grin grew. "Ruby and I aren't heiresses, and we're not on full ride scholarships to the most prestigious academy on Remnant, and that _allowance_ we get isn't from our dad, it's from our moms."

Despite her words being kind and gentle, neither girl could help but wince and look away, but Yang didn't speak again until they both saw the warmth in her eyes and smile.

"When a registered huntsman dies in combat, their kids get what's called a legacy condolence. My mom died during her first tour registered at Signal, and Summer retired before finishing her's but was officially reinstated after _how_ she died. It's not a fortune by any means, but Ruby and I each get a portion of our moms' monthly earnings and we will for the rest of our lives."

"Oh..." Weiss mumbled, mentally scolding herself for once again putting a massive boot in her mouth while Yang playfully nudged her shoulder.

"When things got bad I started taking care of everyone's money to make sure no one drank it away or wasted it all again, but how Ruby spends her mom's money has always been entirely up to her. And despite never actually having bought my own drinks, I was completely willing to look the other way, but after hearing she's seeing an info broker and some of the other things this guy sells..." She shook her head as if getting the thoughts out of her head. "I know Ruby would never go to a broker unless she thought it was important, but they're not exactly cheap and most of the time the answers you get aren't the ones you're wanting to hear..."

Her expression soured but she swallowed the bitter taste down. "Our dad and uncle keep a lot of secrets to protect us, the kind Ruby's better off not knowing. And everyone in this room has more than their fair share but lately she's had her own too." She glanced between the faces that struggled to remain stoic. "I've asked her a couple of times if there is anything I can help her with and she knows I would never be upset with her coming to me for help, but she's still shaken her head.

"I don't have a problem with her or anyone else for that matter keeping secrets, but it's my job to protect her and make sure she hasn't gotten in over her head. Info brokers around here sell more than just information, and I'll feel a lot better knowing she's alright and not trying to dig up something that she shouldn't."

They nodded simultaneously but seemed puzzled by some of her words.

"I don't know what to expect tonight. My friend told me the guy we're looking for only shows up a few times a month and he'll have backup, but I'm not sure how much or how dangerous they'll be. Normally I'd do this kinda thing on my own and would've rather kept this to myself, but..."

She trailed off scowling at her stiff body and how her flames were barely embers. "But I'm lucky Ember Celica didn't blow up in my face with the barrels bent, and I'm not exactly feeling too _hot_ at the moment."

Yang chuckled lightly but even that carried a certain heaviness they weren't used to hearing. "If this guy thinks you're Ruby, then maybe we can find out what she's been buying without a fight."

" _Maybe_?" Blake asked doubtfully.

"Depends on what he's selling." Her eyes flickered before she closed them. "Please, I can't do this on my own and I need your help tonight."

She swallowed as the two girls glanced at one another for less than a second before turning back.

"You don't ever need to _ask_ for our help, Yang." her partner said a smile spreading.

Weiss nodded. "All you had to say was that Ruby _might_ be in trouble and I'd have complained half as much."

Yang mimicked their expressions blinking something from her eye. "Thank you, the both of you. I really mean it."

She gave the pair a quick hug before grabbing Weiss by the shoulders which caused her to look down.

"I suppose her boots are comfortable..." she mumbled, shifting her weight between each foot finding the extra padding incomparable to her heels.

The blonde's smile turned devilish as she released her. "That's too bad, I was gonna suggest dressing up as me next time."

Weiss shuddered and wrapped the cape around herself again with her face nearly the same color.

"Some of my elementary school clothes might fit you," Yang said brightly. "Then again we don't want you blinding anyone. You glowing in the dark has nothing to do with your aura..."

The caped-girl slowly turned to Blake who seemed highly entertained by the sudden levity that was always common with her partner around.

"I'd rather wear clown shoes and a corset, or black nail polish and bow in my hair than a crop top and _short_ shorts that barely cover my-"

"Come on," she whined, bouncing up and down, "blondes have more fun, and a _yin of Yangs_ is _T'Weiss_ as nice as a _bouquet of Rubys_ or _litter of Blakes_!"

They both covered their faces and groaned being reminded of the team's _official_ handbook that the sisters had written where an entire section was dedicated to what names to use if they were ever cloned or time traveled to their past selves. Neither Ruby nor Weiss had understood at the time why Yang had so fervently demanded the plural of her partner to be called a _'litter of Blakes'_ , but after only the first week of school the monochrome pair had added an amendment to kill the blonde before such an event could happen as a _'yin of Yangs'_ would be true love at last until they inevitably killed each other and the rest of Remnant with them.

Weiss returned to nursing her migraine and looked at the door she had double checked to make sure was locked.

"What if Ruby catches me?" she asked suddenly.

Blake turned her head snickering while Yang merely shrugged.

"She'll probably work until she falls asleep and I go get her, and her sister dressing her partner up to look like her won't even scratch the top five weird things she's caught me doing."

They both nodded with Weiss slightly nauseated as her partner had shared with them the contenders but wouldn't actually discuss the top five.

"Alright," she swallowed, "what if someone _else_ catches me? How do we explain your sister having manners all of a sudden?"

"Probably the same way we'll explain why she's paler than a ghost and suddenly gained twenty pounds."

Weiss' eyes widened and Yang quickly threw up her hands.

"Kidding," she said, causing the _Ice Queen_ to go back into hibernation. "With all the makeup you actually look like you've seen the sun in past five years, but I'm afraid the miniskirt-"

Blake coughed, interrupting her before Weiss could combust.

"Just act like Ruby," she breathed.

"Hi y'all!" Weiss screamed, exaggerating her partner's slight accent. "Let's shoot guns and eat chocolate until we puke! Then tonight, I'll throw a flashbang while my partner's showering and laugh while she flails around blind and deaf for the next hour!"

Blake nearly fell to the ground at the dramatic imitation as well as recalling the _somewhat_ exaggerated incident which had been retaliation but for what she couldn't quite remember. Sometimes with four girls sharing a cramped bedroom, closet, refrigerator, and bathroom, it became rather difficult keeping track of grievances when retribution was almost a constant.

"Perfect." Yang grinned. "I didn't know your voice could actually get higher. I'm pretty sure you busted Blake and Zwei's eardrums."

The corgi perked up from his nap atop her bunk, and before Weiss could sling an insult back the blonde held up a hand.

"Act like Ruby," she commanded.

Naturally, Weiss stuck out her tongue and began looking for a weapon in the spare ammo belt she was wearing, but before her search could come up with anything more than an old pocket knife Blake glanced out the window.

"We should go before it gets too dark. It'll be easier for faunus to spot us getting into position otherwise."

Yang nodded but seeing the other smaller girl's reluctance squeezed her shoulder.

"Weiss, if I didn't have faith in you I wouldn't be asking you to do this. Don't worry, we won't let a single thing happen to you."

She nodded and Yang pulled the hood over her face letting the caped-girl lead the way as usual.

Yang was about to follow but turned back to kiss Zwei goodbye, and despite not having her gauntlets retrieved from under the mattress her heavy ammo belt with its skirt-like satchels.

Tying it around seemed to give her a sense of reassurance, but before they were out the door she grabbed her light-footed partner by the arm. "On the way to the lockers would you mind poking your head into the machine shop?"

Blake bobbed her head clearly amused from the look on her face, and with an extra bounce to her step Yang shut the door perhaps a little too forcefully as their neighbor's opened seconds later.

"Hey guys," Jaune said, glancing up from his scroll. "How's-"

His eyes widened seeing the red cloak and girl attached walking gracefully with every assured step.

"Ruby!?" he cried. "How are you!? Sorry we only said hi for a minute yesterday! Everyone else is downstairs training where I'm heading now but they'll be thrilled when I tell them you're moving around so well!"

The young knight stood regaining his breath while the small girl's legs stiffened and Yang and Blake grinned convincingly.

"So how are you?" he asked, suddenly worried by the uncharacteristic silence.

"Fine," she replied quietly.

"Sounds like you have a cold." His eyebrows knitted together as he stooped down slightly.

The other girls snorted and the caped-girl begrudgingly nodded.

"That's too bad," he murmured, wondering how much worse his fellow leader's luck could get. "So where's Weiss? Is she seeing the nurse again about that rash you told us about?"

Blake looked away biting her thumb to keep from cracking while Yang watched with eager anticipation as the hood slowly rose and the foolish boy stared into the cold eyes of the _Ice Queen_ freezing him where he stood.

"Hi Jaune!" the caped-girl cried. "Wanna be friends and go shopping together!? We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about our backstabbing _friends_ along with boys who don't know when to shut up!"

The boy's mouth fell open and his eyes rolled into the back of his head before he finally crumbled onto the floor with a weak groan.

"Welcome to my world," she muttered, returning the hood over her face and stepping over him.

Walking with as much dignity as she could in her partner's clown shoes, she couldn't help but enjoy the brash confidence that came with having one's mind in the clouds and the blissful lunacy of what being a dolt must be like.

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Yang chuckled, looking back and forth between the unconscious body and her stepmother's cape billowing.

"The transformation's already begun," Blake noted, watching her skipping down the hall.

"Yang!" _Ruby's_ high-pitched voice whined already nearing the elevators. "Hurry up, we're gonna be late!"

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I hope everyone who went to RTX had an absolute blast and it was the experience they were all wanting and more. I was unable to go but was there in spirit as an RT fan for over a decade watching the little company that could. Once again thank you for being so incredibly patient with me as this chapter was a bit longer than usual and needed a little extra time to complete. All the support you've given me means a lot, and I'm sorry for the slower pace of "The Patchwork Prodigy" compared to "The Petals Scatter Now". After its predecessor and Volume 3 I really wanted to write a more relaxed story with team RWBY just being who they are and the insanity that could only follow. There will be action in this story, some quite soon actually, but I just wanted to say again that the villains will not playing major roles and this story will focus heavily on team RWBY's growth both as individuals and as friends. I hope you enjoy the ride and thank you for the support.**

 **I've been looking forward to telling the story of what exactly Ruby might have been doing on the shady side of town during the Yellow Trailer and this chapter in particular for over a year now and I really hope my excitement shows. This chapter was simply a blast to write as Yang and Weiss' dialog made me laugh a lot, and I really enjoy seeing the "party girl" side of Yang come and go whenever it suits her. How much is an act or not is up to you of course, but I enjoy her unapologetic attitude about it and Weiss' peevishness. It's a really fun combination that lets the imagination decide who if anyone is over exaggerating their quirks. Whatever the case I hope you enjoy the story and my take on the characters and world.**

 **As always thank you everyone for the support, followers, favorites, reviews, shout outs, PMs, and humble readers. The Lord has blessed me with not only with this story, but all of you as well. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who without Him this story would not have been possible. God bless**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Little Red's Hood

* * *

Nestled between the industrial and commercial districts was the notorious _'shady side of town'_ which sat as an island cut off from the rest of the City of Vale by the forking of a mighty river, effectively keeping its less than reputable nightclubs and even lesser inhabitants isolated unto themselves.

While the neighborhoods just offshore of the more respectable businesses had built their infamy from an ever indulgent party crowd, the rest of the micro-district was considered out of bounds to all except those searching for things most unsavory, and those who would feel right at home in what the Atlesian side of town had dubbed _'Little Menagerie'_.

Despite the commercial district being radiant enough for pedestrians to forget dusk had fallen hours earlier, the only illumination in this land of disrepair was the shattered moon that occasionally peeked out from behind the clouds. And for one peculiar girl hiding beneath a red hood, it was all she could do not to sprint toward the district's inviting glow as a passing group of young men wolf-whistled from across the street.

Uncertain whether to feel offended, agitated, or somewhat flattered by the unprecedented act, she raised an unsteady hand intending to wave back politely when a voice spoke up in her ear offering some friendly advice.

"Unless you're looking to stay at a cheap motel tonight, I'd suggest keeping your hands to yourself, princess."

The caped-girl froze mid-motion and instead raised her hood just enough to glare at the source of all her indignation, who along with her partner was peering down from atop the abandoned building she was standing beside. Although her warm breath and golden mane was hidden from even the sharpest of eyes, Weiss could see the crooked grin clearly in her mind as it was difficult picturing the blonde's face without it.

"It would break my heart knowing what's become of my _baby sister_."

A growl escaped from behind Weiss' clenched teeth as she kept a cautious eye on the slow moving gang while someone breathed heavily in her ear.

"Then again..." Yang drawled in a sultry voice. "The three with big ears look like they could be fun. What do ya say, _Rubes_? Wanna do them the honors of buying us lonely girls a couple of drinks?"

"Humph!" she huffed, turning away and keeping her voice low. "No thank you, but I'm sure the local motel managers and bartenders would give me a substantial discount if I told them my _sister's_ a frequent customer."

Yang's snickers and cackles only furthered Weiss' irritation as she fought the urge to rip the earpiece out and stomp on it.

"Come on, _sis_. There's a club out there with cute boys just waiting to buy you milkshakes, or if you're feeling really adventurous, rootbeer. There's even this _special_ one not far from here I'd been planning on treating you to for your birthday, but if you're a good little girl and promise not to tell Dad, I'll be the best big sister ever and let you have a sneak peek..."

"Why am I not surprised?" she asked herself. "And please, kill me now before you speak any more of corrupting the innocent."

"That's not a no," replied a sing-song voice. "And I'm sure even your innocent ears have heard of _'Every Body, Needs Some Bawdy'_."

Weiss made a choking sound that filled the other girl with glee and caused her voice to become huskier with each deliberately spoken word. And the girl beside her could practically hear the well-mannered heiress' blood boiling as it rushed to her face.

"It is by far the BEST show in town, and wait til you see what the guys _aren't_ wearing..."

"I take back everything I have ever said." The girl with scarlet ears shook her head vehemently. "Ruby is _definitely_ the sane one."

Yang snorted at such ridiculousness and attempted to make a compelling argument to the contrary, but either she gave up or her not-so-quiet fantasies got the better of her while the girl down below rocked back and forth in her boots as if trying to find a more comfortable position, or perhaps simply just trying keep her mind occupied.

Because all air taxis had been grounded at night ever since the city's breaching, and because the team thought it best to keep a low profile, they'd mostly traveled through the shadows of the less populated plazas by foot, which under normal circumstances would've had Weiss' sharp tongue making up for the silent sufferings of her pedicured toes which she dared not ever attribute to her adorable heels. But in her partner's padded socks and extra comfy boots, even she couldn't complain about her delicate feet troubling her. However, despite enjoying the sensation of curling her toes around the world's softest cushions, she still occasionally muttered something about wearing clown shoes whenever she stumbled or tripped over her own feet...

"Weiss," Blake said calmly, speaking for the first time since getting into position. "Stop shifting your weight like you're nervous. You'll only draw attention to yourself."

"I can't help it," she hissed. "Yang's here, and this isn't exactly the kind of neighborhood I was raised in."

"Yeah, you probably locked the limo doors whenever you passed us commoners and our straw houses."

When she didn't respond they assumed she was probably trying to recall ever going through a neighborhood where anyone less than a millionaire resided. Just on their way, Yang had taken the somber duo on a slight detour showing them some of the reminders of the city's near collapse as well as their own heroism, and Weiss seemingly had been brought out of her melancholy seeing with her own eyes just how well the cleanup was coming along and how quickly the city was returning back to normal. However, after crossing the southern bridge into the blonde's domain, she had voiced her dismay when the tidiness started becoming less apparent until it finally came to an unceremonious halt, to which Blake curtly informed her was how the area always looked, and their tour guide wistfully noted it had escaped relatively unscathed compared to the other districts of her beloved home.

"The alley smells like a men's room..." Weiss grumbled, interrupting the heavy breathing in her ear.

"And how would you know what that's like, princess?"

Feeling her shoulder nudged, Yang lying on her stomach turned barely able to make out as the _official_ adult of team RWBY shook her head effectively putting an end to their fun.

"Weiss," she sighed. "You're my _sister_ who's been coming here for God knows how long by herself, and I honestly can't think of anything more terrifying than a happy-go-lucky fifteen-year-old girl skipping around the hood at night with a six foot scythe completely clueless and in her own little world. Would you want to run into that in a dark alley?"

"N-no b-but," she stammered, "I'm not exactly a _happy_ person, I'll be eighteen in a month, and I feel naked without Myrtenaster."

"And not in a fun way I'm guessing?" Yang teased before receiving another elbow.

Weiss frowned and pulled the cloak closer to herself taking a deep breath. "I'm also not as insane as my partner..."

The pair atop the roof slowly turned to one another hearing the words Weiss never needed admit aloud as they were perfectly clear by the admiration in her soft voice.

"You'll be fine," Yang soothed, instinctively protective of the girl wearing the red hood. "We're here watching your back and I've got Myrtenaster right beside me."

"What do you think I'm afraid of?" Weiss swallowed but her throat felt just as raw and she dared not wipe her brow in fear of her hand visibly shaking. "Excuse me for being just a _little_ tense about the prospect of _finally_ having my throat slit by the locals. Being a Schnee will do that to you after awhile..."

Yang's grip on the rooftop ledge turned her knuckles white as a large knot formed in her chest hearing the girl's bitterness as well as her sense of helplessness which she instantly sympathized with. Being without her own weapons and having barely any aura herself, it was hard as a huntress not to feel the least bit vulnerable in such a weakened state, but it must be especially so for a dainty heiress on the wrong side of town who normally refused to leave the school campus alone or without an aura shield.

Having been raised outside of the kingdoms and rule of law, her partner was accustomed to even lesser neighborhoods, and Yang herself had been coming to these parts since her time at Signal searching for fun and mixing business with pleasure until they became one. However, even without weapons or aura, their sizes coupled with combat training, natural strength, and tough demeanors gave the two teenage girls at the least _somewhat_ formidable presences, unlike their much smaller teammates who were barely above five feet and perhaps a hundred pounds soaking wet.

Their leader and her partner _needed_ aura fortifying their muscles in order to accomplish the same incredible feats as Blake and Yang without, but despite their shortcomings they regularly defeated opponents over twice their size and seemingly never realized just how remarkable they were or just how much respect they'd earned from the inherently gifted faunus and genetically blessed blonde brawler who were naturally protective of the smaller girls even if they'd proven in countless battles they were more than capable of taking care of themselves, with or without their weapons and aura.

"Weiss, the person who even _tries_ to lay a hand on my baby sister will be lucky to ever walk again," Yang said. "You hear what I'm saying?"

Down below, the red hood gave the slightest nod but her uncharacteristic fidgeting gave herself away as Yang laying off on teasing her must've meant she thought the situation was alarmingly serious. Blake taking notice of the change in resolve slapped her partner across the shoulder.

 _'You're not helping,'_ she mouthed.

Yang squinted at the dark shape in front of her and the faunus rolled her eyes in annoyance, but at the sound of a soft voice clearing their throat they glanced back down.

"I suppose things could always be worse. At least I don't have to lug around an overgrown gardening tool with me," Weiss said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "My _sister's_ not the only one who's going to have back problems in the future..."

"You say something, _sis_?"

"Nope," she said popping the _'p'_.

Yang turned back wearing a smug smirk that took up most of her face.

 _'Yes, I am,'_ she mouthed with a wink.

After a moment of silence filled only with indistinct sounds carried by the wind and Yang's chuckles as she pictured her partner's irritated face staring back at her, Weiss cleared her throat again.

"Ruby was probably just coming here for cheap weapons parts and ammo. R-Right? Maybe somewhere around here she found good deals on reasonably tasteful corsets and combat skirts? Or maybe she just found a dealer who sells black market cookie dough and this isn't what it looks like?"

"I wouldn't put it past _you_ ," Yang laughed, again easing her nerves. "And I've lost count how many times I've walked in on _you_ and been told _'This isn't wha-_ "

Her rising voice and brightening aura were smothered by a shadowy hand covering her mouth, and despite the only light coming from the surrounding districts, Yang knew her every detail was being picked up by amber colored eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt, but in case either of you have forgotten, this is faunus territory, and many of us have very excellent hearing to go along with night vision."

Weiss stiffened like a statue along with the formerly billowing red cape, and Yang recalled that her partner was the only one not needing an earpiece, but whether she could hear the girl from several stories below or through her own receiver with its nearly maxed volume she hadn't said.

"Also," Blake sighed having reached her end, "would you _please_ try breathing through your nose, Yang?"

Her partner responded with a muffled remark that if she interpreted correctly made her seriously consider covering her nose as well, but upon realizing her crimson faced glare was going unnoticed the skeptical hand withdrew revealing a shameless crooked grin.

Pleased to have won yet another round, Yang turned her attention back to the heiress who again was making choking sounds, but knew she could be of little help now to the red figure down below as she couldn't even see that Weiss was wiping her face, let alone with an unsteady hand.

Being blind as compared to her partner, she drummed her fingers on the ledge and waited _patiently_ for the moon to come out of hiding, then finally peeked out the corner of her eye at the girl who had scouted the entire neighborhood while veiled in shadow, and had found them a position so well hidden from the street that not even the faunus herself had been able to see her partner up above. That is of course until she removed her jacket's hood and flipped her blazing mane as if she were on the cover of one of her countless hair magazines...

Watching the bow atop Blake's head continuously twitch in every direction filled the bored girl with amusement but also gave her a sense of ease as what lay underneath was tirelessly searching for danger while her sharp eyes darted around catching even the slightest movements in the darkness, and she had to physically restrain herself from telling the peevish girl down below what the cat faunus might be tracking in the alley behind her.

Just this quick glance was all she needed to know that Blake was clearly in her element, but it did nothing to help the night chill from piercing her heart.

After some time had passed being together, Blake had shared with her friends what being born outside city walls was like and how drastically different life was in the lawless territory of Menagerie. But only with her partner and after some prodding had she shared the realities of being a hungry child living on the streets looking for her next meal, as well as some of her less glamorous moments where she'd been forced to decide whether she simply just wanted to survive in the forsaken land of her banished ancestors, or whether she wanted to thrive like a predator.

From an early age she had seen the horrifying consequences of not doing everything it took to survive, and with nightmares fully ingrained in her mind Blake had promised herself that would never be her...

Even as a rising upstart member of the White Fang she had slept under the stars sometimes shivering and her stomach growling, but always in confidence that she was leading a righteous revolution which had kept her spirit kindled even when tears were stained on her cheeks.

She rarely spoke of the darkest moments of her former life even to her best friend, but to Yang alone had she fully recounted how wonderful yet absolutely terrifying it had been running away from the only home she'd ever known only to bounce around the villages of Vale, sleeping where she wouldn't be found, eating what wouldn't be missed, and talking to the only person who understood her and was more miserable than herself. Her own shadow...

It was then while doing the most mundane of huntress jobs that were usually little more than glorified babysitting that she'd been visited by a peculiar man wearing a green turtleneck and walking with a cane who turned up wherever she went offering her a place she could call home, make friends, and become like the legends of her then few treasured books. All this, as well as a chance at redemption which at the time she had foolishly scoffed at to his face, had been made possible by a scholarship to his academy that would be repaid once she was a registered huntress going on adventures. Which for a hungry little girl without shoes was all she ever dreamed of being before she stopped believing in fairy tales and happy endings.

She had told Yang that after his final visit, she had come to the City of Vale with her entire life packed inside a small knapsack, and just like so many other undesired and wayward faunus, she found herself a transient on the shady side of town. But unlike so many others without futures, she could see her's clearly from across the city and had learned to pickpocket like a patient predator. Her best marks had been in nightclubs where she'd walk around as if dull from her drinks and her wallet poking out of her back pocket so it was just too tempting to resist, and later the inconspicuous girl would stalk her prey and effortlessly snatch it back along with _interest_ without any notice.

Those who robbed her at gunpoint however were lucky to be so fortunate as there was a reason why katanas forged in Menagerie had a stigma about them, and she had wielded her's since before donning her first a Grimm mask...

After only a short time thriving where others barely survived, she'd gathered enough _interest_ to afford a cozy apartment where she had spent her days reading more books than she ever dreamed of owning, and awaited the next chapter of her life which she had long since given up praying for.

While Yang herself might spend a few fun filled hours a week on a shady side of town, for Blake it had simply been all she'd ever known, and her partner couldn't have felt more at ease with their lives in her hands. At the same time however, she also couldn't help glancing down at the girl whose life couldn't have been more opposite, yet so similar.

The caped-girl came to a halt having been mindlessly pacing around the sidewalk, and now squirmed uncomfortably at every unexpected sound as if troubled by the unnatural silence that so rarely followed her team, or perhaps sensing the damp eyes hovering above her.

"So who am I waiting for?" she asked with a slight accent, "and what sort of sleazy date did my loving _sister_ trick me into? I wonder quietly to myself."

"And the transformation's finally complete," Blake muttered.

"Well, _Ruby_ ," Yang teased, blinking something from her eyes. "Your _big sis_ was having a few grown up drinks the other day with an old friend, and imagine my surprise when he told me _you've_ been hanging out with an info broker right here behind my back. I Just wanna make sure _you're_ not doing anything that I wouldn't do, but if so I think it's time _your boyfriend_ meets the family..."

"There's nothing that you wouldn't do, _sis_. But what would my gentle, kindhearted and very forgiving _big sister_ do when she sees him? I wonder to myself quite worriedly."

"Depends..."

The heiress winced as knuckles popped in her ear.

"If you've been coming here for black market cookie dough I'm grounding you for a month and giving you all of our chore duties. If this guy's been selling you something I don't particularly like, then I'm breaking every single bone in his body, and then you and I are going to have a long talk in a nice secluded area where there are no witnesses..."

 _*gulp*_

"We're still talking about other _me_ right?"

Yang let her brooding speak for itself while a gentle hand squeezed her shoulder but whose owner also remained silent.

"She might be a dolt but she's far from stupid," Weiss said dropping the accent. "Trust me, your sister had a good reason for coming here. But if not I'll break his bones myself for making me stand here all night, and then I'll be there for Ruby and her chocolate intervention which has been a _long_ time coming."

The words hung in the cold air as they repeated the sentiment to themselves, and while Weiss didn't have confidence in herself, she did have faith in someone which caused her knees to stop shaking as she tightened the red cloak around herself and straightened the cross pendants.

Yang turned just able to make out her partner nod in agreement as the moon peeked out again, but once the light faded so did the faunus' reassuring smile.

Blake loathed the cynical part of her brain that whispered the various reasons why a teenager might come to this particular neighborhood, and knew the same dark thoughts were going through Yang's if not also Weiss'.

In the beginning, Blake had presumed her leader to be foolishly naive and living in a childish fantasy, but slowly she began to see that the optimistic girl lived in the same world as her and had more than her fair share of sorrows as well. Like herself, the young girl also had nightmares but her's were almost nightly and sometimes even violent. However, she'd been the one to make Blake a believer that true good could exist even in a world like Remnant.

Feeling her hand tremble, the stealthful girl went to retrieve it afraid her best friend might sense the fear over her little sister, but froze upon realizing she wasn't the one shaking.

Looking down at her unsteady hand, Blake saw something she never thought possible and caused her breath to catch.

Yang Xiao Long was shivering...

From atop her perch the faunus could see for miles, and she cursed herself for not seeing what was less than an elbow's length away.

Never taking her eyes off the hooded blonde's profile, Blake muted the scroll around her wrist then did the same for her partner's, and in doing so came into contact with icy skin normally so feverish she could be easily mistaken for a portable heater.

"Yang, are you cold?"

The larger girl didn't acknowledge the question but from the way her jaw was set it seemed as though she was busy keeping her teeth from chattering.

Worry sunk to the bottom of Blake's chest as she stared in almost disbelief having watched her partner stroll into the student freezer countless times in nothing more than pajama shorts and a thin tank top, and saunter out minutes later eating ice cream without so much as goosebumps, and had even once caught her using the frosted tip of Myrtenaster to pick her teeth.

Now for the first time she took notice of the sharp breaths and irregularly rising chest, and questioned whether her heavy breathing had less to do with habit and good-looking guys walking below than it did with tightly bandaged ribs.

Blake had thought it strange in the beginning that her partner never bragged about injuries or ever showed them off as badges of honor like her sister and most other students did, but shortly after the mission realization had slowly come to her as she honestly couldn't remember the last time Yang had so much as a lingering bruise after a fight, and could count on one hand the number of times she'd actually seen her bleed. And now she wondered if the uncharacteristic jacket and jeans weren't just to cover her pride and sometimes questionable modesty.

"Yang," she repeated, "are you alright?"

Her partner turned looking as if it were the dumbest question she'd ever heard, but slowly she gave a curt nod.

"I wasn't lying when I said I haven't been feeling too hot lately. But I guess that's what happens when you blow up an Alpha and part of the city using yourself as a firebomb. Heh, a body as _hot_ as this just wasn't meant to burn itself out that fast and all in one go. And I swear it's never happened to me before."

Her tight grin fell as any attempt of humor in her voice was lost in the cold, and Blake couldn't help seeing the dark irony that for possibly the first time her partner was more covered up than she was and her powers even less conspicuous than her own.

While their aura shields had been lowered so as no faunus caught sight the pair's faint glows no matter how dull they might be at the moment, Blake's passive aura was effortlessly melding them into the shadows but it should have felt as though she were rubbing elbows with a hot stove instead of a refrigerator.

Having been raised in Patchwork, the northern mountains of the Isle of Patch, Ruby was used to a chilly climate as well as the occasional wintry flurry courtesy of her partner's northern kingdom whose own frigid aura was the exact opposite of the blonde's, and Blake of course was no stranger to enduring the elements no matter the extreme.

Yang on the other hand practically lived on a beach on the opposite side of the large island with its much warmer weather, and her fiery aura meant swimming and sunbathing even on the coldest day of winter wasn't an issue, and usually garnered an attentive albeit freezing audience.

Blake's _biggest_ worry however wasn't that her partner was shivering due to low aura or was obviously in discomfort lying next to her. It was knowing she wouldn't have the team's unstoppable cornerstone beside her if a fight broke out, and instead possibly had a stumbling block that she and another girl with barely any aura would have to compensate for, something that was simply unnatural to think about.

Just like so many of the others who hadn't seen the dainty heiress as a brilliant fencer or the carefree caped-girl as a ruthless yet ingenious warrior, Blake at first also hadn't seen Signal's most beloved party girl as anything more than a ditsy blonde coming to a huntsman academy looking for a good time.

Although she was slightly taller with a more muscular build than herself, and already had quite the fearsome reputation before initiation, Blake also couldn't help from overhearing the rather unflattering gossip about her future partner and wouldn't have said she'd been exactly impressed by the sunny blonde she had foolishly mistaken for as some sort of beach bunny or aspiring swimsuit model who only desired to become a huntress so she could meet Remnant's wealthiest and most powerful young men.

But despite not thinking much of her first encounter with her, Blake now respected her best friend as the toughest and possibly most intimidating person she had ever laid eyes on.

When Yang Xiao Long walked into the room it was best to leave your ego at the door as even the most brilliant flames couldn't compare to the burning sun. Wherever she went heads turned and captivated eyes followed to see where her legs took her, but while she privately enjoyed the attention and the many perks that naturally came along with it, she was also all too willing to prove why she had graduated from combat school the top of her class and why her combat rating was comparable to many third year students at Beacon.

While many believed the undefeated brawler should've had the highest rating among the freshmen, being a close second behind only Pyrrha Nikos stemmed mostly from her enjoying the rush of battle and savoring the intoxicating peaks of her semblance. As well as for generally only ending fights when she got bored or irritated enough, which often put her at odds with her combat instructor.

Despite her aggression however, the lovable blonde had always been popular and well liked among her professors and fellow students, principally the males. But it was no secret that even her best friends avoided combat practice with her as it usually meant a trip to infirmary, especially if she were in a particularly foul mood or simply didn't want to shower first thing after class.

Having shared a cramped room together for so long, it sometimes became easy for Blake to forget just how extraordinary her roommates were and how wearing their souls freely on their sleeves filled them with an empowerment and kinship that normal citizens simply couldn't understand, but for the girl she shared a bunk with it was sometimes difficult comprehending how incredible she was and not take her partner for granted. Yang's awesome powers being directly linked to her emotions meant those around her could feel the confidence and invulnerability radiating off of her at all times, and the normally cheerful girl stood out as an intimidating force in a profession ordinarily dominated by men much larger than herself who she could turn speechless with a flirtatious wink or turn to ash with a simple gleam of crimson in her eyes.

Now however, Yang did nothing to hide her weakness in front of her best friend and almost seemed at ease no longer having to hide the discomfort she was feeling from simply lying still on her stomach.

"Yang, I don't think your plan is-"

Her partner brushed the hand off her shoulder and faced the figure hiding in the darkness.

"Would you be this worried if my little sister was the one who made the plan?" she asked not unkindly. "I might not be able to do this on my own, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing. Or that I don't appreciate what you and Weiss are doing for me and especially Rubes."

Blake's expression softened, but because her partner couldn't see she went to return the hand to its former position but found one atop her's instead.

"For a long time now I've had to be the person everyone else depended on, and if I didn't trust you I wouldn't have asked you to do this for me. Forget the plan if you want, but I'm gonna find out why she's been coming here one way or another. And I'm hoping it's _another_..."

She removed the hand and set her eyes back on the figure down below while Blake stared back swallowing the lump in her throat.

 _'You and Weiss had better hope you're at least half good as making plans as your sister, otherwise...'_

Blake didn't bother finishing the thought and instead looked out into the darkness with her elbow brushing up against a block of ice as she laid a reassuring hand on her blade keenly aware of a familiar presence inside her jacket which Yang had asked her to bring but made her sick just thinking about, let alone possibly donning once again.

"I can't hear the irritating voices or heaving breathing in my head," said the caped-girl. "Has the impossible happened that I'm finally sane, or did somebody mute me? I ask myself rather crossly."

Yang catching her partner in the eye pressed a button on her scroll and Blake followed suit.

"Oh! Sorry, Weiss, we sorta forgot about you. We've been kinda busy..." she replied panting heavily. "Blakey was cold and shivering so like a good friend I snuggled up to keep her warm. She didn't want your innocent ears hearing what she had to say but basically she told me she was _very_ grateful, I told her to prove it, and now I've got my hand on her-"

 _*smack*_

"You're unbelievably incorrigible, _sis._ And it's because of your sick, twisted sense of humor that I've always been _Dad's_ favorite."

"Probably," Yang said, rubbing the back of her head while her partner did the same for her hand. "But more importantly that's _exactly_ why I've always been Uncle Qrow's favorite."

The caped-girl puffed out her cheeks and blew the red tips out of her eyes. "You wish."

"And it's good to hear your elementary school vocabulary finally expanding, _Rubes._ It's just too bad your accent makes it sound like you went to school in a farm house. Oh wait that's right..."

"Would my _big sister_ like me to come up there and show her what I've learned from my nearly perfect partner who just so happens to be the best fencer at Beacon? I ask myself hypothetically."

"Is this you wanting an invitation to join us? I call dibs on the middle along with Blakey's Bellebooty."

 _*smack*_

"Did my _sister_ just-"

 _*SMACK!*_

"Erm, I think I'll stay down here where it's safe and everyone keeps their hands to themselves..."

"So how're you feeling, Weiss?" Blake asked smoothly, now unable to feel her arm along with the lower half of her body which she _desperately_ fought the urge to massage.

"I thought my name was _Ruby_ ," she answered over the sound of weak moans. "Thankfully the clown shoes my considerate and much more petite partner bought for me are comfortable because I get the feeling I may be standing here all night."

"Just try hold out for another hour," Yang said softly with arms cradled around her skull. "If he doesn't show by then and my head's stopped spinning, I'll buy us something warm to eat on the way home."

"Then can we go ahead with my plan and just tickle your sister until she tells us why she's been coming here?"

"We talking about you or other _you_?"

"I'll hold her feet," Blake offered.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Deal."

With their conspiracy in place, Weiss began counting the minutes as she had nothing better to do other than try to look as inconspicuous as possible while wearing a red cloak, combat mini-skirt, and a pinafore which in no way resembled a corset despite what anyone else might say. But while the Atlesian found the cool weather delightful, Yang atop the roof was gritting her teeth harder by the minute, tensing up with every gust of wind, and feeling as though her skin might blister from the cold.

Although she'd only been trying to get a rise from her partner, Blake muted their scrolls again and offered to scoot closer to share body heat, but was shot down just as quickly as she'd expected from the proud girl who didn't even bother playfully teasing her about the suggestion.

And as per her earlier request, Yang and Weiss no longer conversed which had been the one thing keeping Yang warm and her mind off what trouble her little sister might have been up to. And occasionally while wandering around the sidewalk, Weiss would mutter something under her breath perhaps trying to instigate the contentious girl above but eventually gave up after her third or fourth attempt was ceased by their adult supervisor.

Long after she'd given up on counting the minutes, Weiss heard bones popping in her ear and found herself immensely grateful for Yang's always reliable impatience.

"Alright that's it," she groaned pushing herself up. "I'm sick of this. When we get home, I'm sitting on Ruby's chest and we're gonna find out why we just wasted our time freezing our-"

She would've let out a startled cry but a hand covered her mouth as she was roughly pulled down beside her partner where she bit her tongue and shut her eyes so as to keep her body's protests to herself.

Blake held up a finger in front of both their faces, ending the struggles to free herself which more resembled writhing. "He's here..."

Weiss' breath caught and as casually as she could manage, looked to her surroundings but was unable to find anyone. Minutes passed feeling like hours, and just as she began believing her friends might've been playing a cruel prank, a pair of boots appeared beside her seemingly out of the darkness and without a sound.

Her heartbeat skipped and her body naturally flinched, but she recovered quickly and played the involuntary motion off as if she were simply adjusting the cloak, and once the hammering in her chest stopped she had to keep from covering her nose as despite not having seen or heard his approach, standing beside him the heiress couldn't believe she hadn't smelled him.

"Well this is a surprise," grumbled a rough voice. "I wasn't expecting you here again, especially on a chilly night like this."

The caped-girl nodded but found it rather pleasant herself even feeling a tad overdressed for the occasion.

"This part of the city isn't safe at night. They say there's a monster going around gobbling up little girls wearing red..."

Weiss couldn't help noting the man sounded as though his teeth were in the way of his tongue, and knew from the direction of his voice and from glancing out the corner of her eye at his long coat and thick legs that she was being towered over.

"I can take care of myself."

"Is that so?"

 _*sniff, sniff*_

"Weiss," Blake said carefully. "He suspects something."

"Act like Ruby," Yang barely breathed.

The heiress swallowed and with the moon acting as a spotlight, she said goodbye to all humility and dignity in favor of something less sensible and more happy-go-lucky.

 _'Dolt mode activated...'_

"Yep! I've-been-drinking-lots-of-milk-and-because-of-my-super-awesome-teammates-and-my-best-friend-forever-awesome-partner-I've-got-super-awesome-huntress-moves-like-this!"

She kicked a leg into the air and began making chopping motions to go along with the sound effects made with her mouth, but all at once she lost her balance and began flailing her arms like a bird until she was upright again posing dramatically.

"Ta-Da!"

A cool breeze blew her cape and despite keeping the hood down she grinned so widely it felt as though her face would crack, and in her ear she could hear stifled giggles and the sound of tears running down bright faces.

"Well done, Weiss," Blake commended. "Ruby couldn't have done it any better."

"That's my little sis," Yang said wiping her eye.

Her smile didn't fade despite feeling fierce eyes studying her from above, and she didn't even notice her body relaxing the more she asked herself what a certain other dolt would do in her situation, and so while pondering she brought a finger to her nose to the amusement of those in her ear.

The stranger grunted in what sounded like disinterest, then slowly reached into his long coat causing her to hold her breath and resist the natural instinct to activate her aura or at the very least look up from his filthy boots. Weiss trusted her friends completely with her life as they had saved it countless times before and treated it as if it were more valuable than their own, and after months being together she couldn't have felt more secure being at their complete mercy if he were to pull a weapon.

Her breathing finally returned to normal after hearing the sound of paper crinkling but her stomach sank wondering what might be inside.

"You have the money?"

Weiss nodded and dug around the overstocked ammo belt moving several yellow dust crystals to the side before clumsily retrieving a blue lien which she playfully twirled between her fingers.

He made an ugly sound that might've been a snort. "The stuff you wanted wasn't worth half that, but if you insist..."

Fingernails that more resembled claws swiped through the air at a startling speed, but the caped-girl effortlessly withdrew in time and held out her other hand which had a faint golden hue that quickly faded.

She wiggled her long, thin fingers and before she could blink a manila envelope dropped into her hand, and seeing no other option she held out the small fortune which was snatched up without hesitation.

Weiss weighed the package in her hand unable make out what all may be inside due to its thickness, but also because her senses were preoccupied from feeling his eyes on her once more.

"Aren't you going to open it?" he asked. "I've been carrying those records since summer and been _dying_ to seeing your reaction..."

From his tone the caped-girl thought looking inside might be the last thing she wanted to do, but with a silent apology to her partner, she began breaking the seal when gnarled nails dug into her wrist causing her to yelp as they broke pale skin.

"What clean hands you have, _miss Rose_ , especially for how much faunus blood you have on them..."

She looked up seeing grey hair covering his yellow eyes as the wolf bared his fangs down at her.

"And what heartless eyes you have. They almost remind me of a Schnee's..."

He raised her arm so her toes barely scraped the sidewalk then brought his face so close she felt hot breath prickling her neck.

"Not even perfume can hide the stench of your retched family."

The claws dug deeper and her injured arm screamed in agony, but all that escaped from her mouth was a growl as heartless, cold eyes stared defiantly into his daring him to make a move.

"A lot of my people are dead because of you, princess. And the White Fang's put a pretty price on your not-so-pretty face..."

He trailed a finger down her left eye and Weiss flared her aura trying to pull away, but the wolf faunus was well over twice her size and even stronger than he appeared. A white glyph began forming under his feet but before she could flick her wrist, she hesitated as heavy boots landed merely a few feet away.

"I'd let go of her if I were you," said a quiet voice. "That's my baby sister you've got your hands on..."

Weiss noticed how the ground sunk beneath the girl's aura, but mostly she focused on the rapier in her hand and how her lilac eyes kept flickering red as if unable to make up their mind.

She removed her dark hood revealing long blonde hair that fell below her waist, and with the wolf faunus basking in the newfound sunlight, Weiss quickly activated the small glyph sending them both flying backwards and herself skidding to a halt at Yang's side, and after shoving the envelope into her waistband she gladly retrieved Myrtenaster.

Weiss manually spun the stubborn cylinder until it landed on a red dust vial and scratched her finger on the trigger waiting for her would-be attacker to make the next move, or more likely her incorrigible roommate.

Hearing laughter, she turned her head as several men wearing similar long coats stood in the alley as if they'd been there the entire time, and at the sound of Yang popping her knuckles, she turned back to see over half a dozen more joining the info broker who had their sights on the impressive blonde who'd seemingly fallen from the sky.

"Tell ya what, blondie, if you'll just let us keep the Schnee we'll let you go without any trouble whatsoever..."

Seeing the wolfish grins directed toward her, Yang followed their hungry eyes and fluttered her eyelashes innocently.

"And what makes you boys think I'd let you off that easily?" She giggled girlishly and nudged the smaller girl, pointing excitedly at all the men surrounding them. "Thanks for the early birthday present, sis. How'd you know this is what I've been wanting?"

"Call it sisters intuition," she replied barely able to keep her voice from cracking. "That and you talk in your sleep..."

"Hmm, just so you know I wasn't _actually_ sleeping. And I'll tell ya what, sis, if we finish early I happen to know a _special_ club not far from here with much better looking guys..."

Weiss glanced at the malicious and ravenous looks they were being given and swallowed. "Sounds good. I've been told they have _excellent_ service, though of course I wouldn't know myself."

Yang laughed and seeing the same faces she winked. "Careful boys," she cooed. "Stare at the sun too long and you could go blind, but if you try to touch her..."

"You will get burned," Weiss finished, setting her rapier aflame.

The leader narrowed his eyes looking back and forth between the two teenage girls, and with the snapping of his fingers the men retrieved knives from their jackets which glowed red from dust crudely infused with the blade, something meant for burning through aura shields quickly and painfully.

Although it would've been intimidating for most, Weiss' first thought was how highly illegal they were before setting her left foot forward and readying her blade while Yang let out a relieved breath they hadn't pulled guns. They wanted to make this memorable and take their time, something fine by her and only made her more excited.

The info broker stepped forward feeling brave surrounded by his men. "The two of you are about to find out why humans are at the bottom of the food chain."

Yang's grin widened looking more devilish by the second. "Then I suggest you all get in line." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Because it starts behind me..."

Steam began rising from her mane as well as her shoulders followed by the rest of her body, and when her eyes finally reopened they were glowing blood red.

Facing toward the alley, several men tried flanking her but were sent skirting back as Myrtenaster's flames singed their coats. Weiss pressed her back against her teammate as they'd done countless times before always feeling as though the sun was shining on her, but now found herself shivering as she felt the other girl's muscles beginning to tense up.

Yang's joy never faded from her face despite the agony every inch of her body was feeling as it only made her rage grow, and when the first faunus darted out of the alley at an inhuman speed, she almost felt disappointed as he seemed so slow compared to those she trained with, especially the annoying little girl who'd steal certain articles of clothing from her and run around the house singing about them.

She expected this wouldn't end much differently...

The attacker's knife came within inches of her chest when a hand caught him by the wrist and squeezed until the blade fell from his hand into her own. He cried out but his suffering came to an abrupt end when her elbow caught the side of his head and sent him flying into a brick building where he collapsed.

His fellow faunus stared in disbelief as she twirled the blade in her fingers before letting it drop to even more surprised faces that were slowly backing away from the flames.

"Let's make this fair shall we?"

Several concerned eyes blinked as she instead raised her fists with only fingerless gloves for protection, and again she sported a cocky grin which faltered slightly when her vision blurred.

Two men lunged toward the heiress' throat but were sent flying as fire danced off her blade. With the flick of her wrist, she flourished her blade and despite the flames several of the thugs swore the temperature was dropping, and suddenly cried out in pain dropping their knives as it felt though they'd stuck their hands in a bucket of ice water and an oven at the same time.

Weiss smirked trying to hide how much expanding her aura and activating the red dust of their weapons drained her, and despite her partner's snug clothing she found none of her elegant movements restricted as she sent another faunus howling in agony.

She felt her teammate's body tense again and caught a man in the head who'd thought himself clever in flanking the larger girl only to writhe on the ground from the rapier that when imbued could trade blows with even Crescent Rose and its relentless wielder.

Yang sent another another man flying and showed no concern of the knife meant for her face as she simply sidestepped with Weiss mirroring her movements as another blade slashed at her chest. She ducked under a left hook and gave the faunus one of her own, but he simply growled as smoke rose from his chin. And without Ember Celica around her wrists, Yang caught the knife on her jacket's sleeve with only a thin layer of aura between her and the blade already burning its way toward her flesh.

With a roar she swiped the knife away as if she were parrying, and extended her other arm back this time feeling something break on contact.

Her foe fell to the ground but she had little time to celebrate as electricity shot through both arms causing even her toes to curl. She heard someone rushing forward, and relying heavily on past experiences, she braced what little aura she had and covered her face as a large fist caused her boots to leave the ground.

Before Weiss could shout, Yang landed back on her feet already charging forward when another thug moved in at an unnatural speed. She spun out of the knife's reach but felt a searing sensation in her shoulder that caused her vision to darken and something warm to trickle down her left arm.

Weiss sent another volley of flames at her attackers, striking a few square in the chest as she regrouped with the doubled over cornerstone who very nearly knocked the smaller girl away as waves of malicious aura washed over her. And she knew in that instant that people were going to die if this didn't end soon, and she said as much under her breath.

Roaring like an animal, Yang flew towards the unfortunate man who'd caused her to bleed, and he crumbled to the ground as her mighty fist connected with his skull, but immediately gasped as she felt ripples throughout her sides and thought she could hear her muscles tearing.

This time she didn't have time to brace for the punch even if she'd had enough aura, and merely closed her eyes as she was sent flying atop Weiss who struggled to keep them both upright.

"Yang!?"

"I'm fine!" she yelled, wiping the blood from her lip and slamming a fist into an approaching body which she couldn't raise her arm high enough for.

Normally she would've gotten a few chuckles from the large man who'd fallen to his knees crying out in a pitch higher than both her sister and Weiss combined, but with crimson replacing her pupils and arms curled against her chest, she left a deep impression of her boot across his face.

More men lunged forward and she cried out, and Weiss didn't even see who struck Myrtenaster so forcefully that she flew through the air onto Yang where they both collapsed.

"Huntresses aren't so tough without their auras now are they?" the leader asked, spitting blood after having been informally introduced to Yang's fist. "Think of this as a very brief history lesson as to why we faunus were never completely wiped out by your _kind_. Not that there will ever be another lesson for the two of you..."

The few men still remaining on their feet chuckled darkly, but were all nursing burns and various other injuries, and their laughter sounded more like a pack of wolves impatiently waiting to be fed.

Weiss tried to raise her rapier but in a flash, a filthy boot snuffed out the flames and she nearly cried out as what felt like hot knives twisted inside her tightly bandaged arm, and she almost couldn't believe there weren't real blades sticking out of her flesh.

The info broker gazed at the heartless, cold eyes underneath the hood and smiled seeing traces of fear, but what he failed to see was his prey holding onto the other girl who was shaking and her blood literally beginning to boil on her skin.

"Yang, calm-"

The boot landed on her hand and she gritted her teeth holding onto her even tighter as she felt the uncontrollable power coursing through Yang's body ignited from seeing the small girl dressed as her little sister tormented in front of her very eyes.

 _'They're all about to die and they don't even know it...'_

Weiss smiled inches from her face hiding the agony and opened her mouth. _'Hold on just a little longer, sis.'_

Yang closed her eyes and buried her face under the mane while she furiously tore through the concrete with bare hands.

With all the man's weight pressing down, Weiss bit her tongue refusing to make a sound or let go of her beloved rapier.

He chuckled at the false bravado and stooped down brandishing a knife in front of her left eye. "The White Fang are going to be very pleased when they hear about this..."

 _*twitch*_

"Hear about what exactly?"

Weiss' heart fluttered but across her face she wore the familiar coldness she'd felt her entire life which had long since turned into bitterness until only a few months prior.

Every head turned to the source of the muffled woman's voice but saw nothing until a slim figure stepped out of the darkness revealing little as the shadows seemed to follow her.

The men narrowed their eyes having trouble even with their superior vision discerning her features apart from an unremarkable black jacket and jeans, as well as the face of a horrifying beast. A Grimm mask with large fangs and ornate designs that reminded them of a predatory cat gazing at its next meal.

Only afterward did they notice the katana with battle worn chips and claw marks held loosely in her hand, as well as the pair of ears atop her head that swiveled at even their slightest movements.

They swallowed looking back and forth between their boss who stepped back and their approaching shadowy visitor.

"I can handle the Schnee filth myself..."

The raven haired woman behind the mask spoke with a dull, almost bored sounding voice as if they were discussing the fair weather, but the regal name had been soaked in such venom that it was a wonder it hadn't also dripped from her sharp fangs.

She growled sounding like the monster whose face she wore and took a step toward to the small, frightened heiress lying the ground as one of the men foolishly rushed forward.

"No way!" he cried waving a knife in her face. "We did all the work which means-"

In less than the blink of an eye, the masked woman became enshrouded in darkness and it was as if her katana was shaped into a pistol by the very shadows themselves. The man didn't even have time to react as he fell to the ground in a cloud of yellow dust as she pulled the trigger multiple times without even the slightest hesitation or hint of remorse.

His fellow wolf faunus watched with wide eyes as the pistol hovered over the shallow breathing man's head.

"The White Fang does not need the help of amateurs..." The masked woman with the monotone voice moved the gun over the cowering heiress who covered herself in the red cloak as if hoping it would serve her better than it had its original owner, all the while the other girl slowly crawled toward the man who'd just been crushing her baby sister's hand.

"Neither of you have any idea how many times I've thought about doing this," the masked woman said, "especially tonight..."

Her shadows attacked and the men fell to their knees as if the world was swallowing them. Those who struggled were the first to fall either to gunshot or from an unseen cleaver striking them down with the flat of the blade.

The info broker watched on in horror as his men cried out in the darkness, and somehow got to his feet to run when he heard something snap before feeling his kneecap twist completely in the wrong direction.

He fell to the ground screaming with his knife skidding across the pavement, and a warm body rolled atop of him leaving burns wherever they came into contact with.

Despite feeling like a cord stretched far beyond its limit, Yang pulled her arm back with a feverish hand around his throat.

"Name of the woman who attacked the CCT," she growled barely able to get the words out.

He shook his head and whimpered as her snarl only worsened.

"Wrong answer!" She slammed her fist and watched the back of his skull bounce against the concrete, and there his body lay very still.

Behind her, the darkness dissipated as the last man fell and Weiss gasped for breath as she flicked her wrist and the black gravity glyph around their feet vanished. She lay her head against the cool ground vaguely aware of someone standing over her, and with her head pounding, she opened her eyes to see the masked woman breathing heavily and her pistol hovering over her, and Weiss half wished she'd pull the trigger.

"Bang," Blake deadpanned. "You're dead."

Weiss scowled but sat up and readjusted the wig and hood before taking the hand that was offered to her.

"Maybe if that was Crescent Rose," she scoffed, pointing at the low caliber pistol. "High-grade yellow dust hurts but it'll only seriously injure someone with a weak or nonexistent aura shield."

Her masked face cocked to the side. "And which one do you think the you are?"

Weiss' expression soured but after a moment her eyes softened, and Blake kept her steady while she swayed back and forth dizzily.

"I'm very much appreciative of being alive right now," she said with a weary smile. "Thank you, and I think you may have saved their lives as well." Weiss took a hard look at her fallen attackers then at Myrtenaster which dangled and weighed heavily in her bruised hand. With the ever so slightest hesitation, she clipped the rapier to her belt and removed her eyes from those lying at her feet.

"Don't mention it..." Blake took her by the shoulder and half carried, half dragged her to where Yang was still atop the info broker with crimson eyes and bloody knuckles exposed through her once padded gloves.

Walking over, they saw the man's chest barely rising underneath her, and her face contorted as if in deep thought. She glanced up looking as though they'd interrupted something important.

"Bang, you're dead."

The girl on the ground blinked several times at the black pistol as if unable to understand what had just been said or who had even spoken, but finally clear lilac returned and she shook her head.

"I could've taken at least three more of them."

"Maybe," she agreed, honestly believing her. "But the fourth or fifth would've killed you, and Weiss."

With a swift motion, Gambol Shroud became a katana once more and returned to the cleaver over her shoulder that also acted as its sheath, and Weiss shook her head that the complex weapon could still transform so smoothly despite having been barely maintained since the mission. A true testament to her neurotic partner's meddling.

They offered their hands but Yang ignored them, and instead rolled off the large man before digging into his coat pocket and holding up a decaying wallet.

"Are we robbing him too?" asked the muffled voice.

"Blake," Weiss grimaced, "would you _please_ take that hideous thing off now? You know it gives me the creeps."

The faunus hesitated having forgotten she was still wearing the face of a monster as it'd felt so natural on her own.

"Sorry..." She complied and returned the mask into her jacket before expertly retying the bow over her ears and again offered a hand to her partner.

Yang sighed reluctantly accepting the offer, and the larger girl was of very little help getting back to her feet being difficult for the pair to even hold onto as blood and sweat mingled on her hands while she kept her arms tightly cradled against her chest.

"That actually went better than I expected," she groaned halfway up.

"I will never take your insane sister's plans for granted ever again," Weiss groaned back.

Once she was on her feet again, Yang swayed and collapsed into her friends' arms for an impromptu embrace that was gladly received and returned.

They stood there for a moment but once the girls felt they could stand on their own they slowly released one another but stayed close together.

Yang being slightly hunched over smiled weakly and held up a blue line for Weiss who blinked. "I believe this is yours."

"But that isn't." She pointed, taking the card and sticking it in her partner's belt for safekeeping.

The larger girl retrieved a handful of lien varying in colors before dropping the still heavy wallet onto his chest.

"I told you I wasn't gonna let some scumbag have Summer's money, and Rubes would've paid half upfront the night she asked for info and the other half tonight. I don't know how much this guy charges, but I do know he owes me a new jacket."

She glanced down at her shoulder and Blake's nose twitched as she caught the scent of something burning, and realized it was her best friend.

While Yang regarded the tear in her clothes with an annoyed scowl, the other two were more preoccupied with the bloodstain, or more specifically the small flame emerging from her flesh.

"Um, is that from the dust or your aura?" Weiss asked meekly.

Yang shrugged unconcerned. "A little of both, but I'm good. I just wish I had less vests and one more jacket to wear."

"We should get you to the infirmary, just to make sure that doesn't get infected."

Yang snorted as if the thought amused her. "In case you haven't noticed but I'm kinda used to red dust."

She motioned at her wrists but only raised them a few inches from where they were curled. "After practice it's practically the only thing I can smell and taste until I shower, speaking of which..."

"You don't have to worry about dust infections?" Weiss asked having never given it much thought.

The other girl grinned. "Being as _hot_ as I am has its perks, besides the obvious of course."

Weiss rolled her eyes but nearly jumped when the girl who'd been silently studying her partner's injuries with a twinkle in her moist eyes, slapped her good shoulder so forcefully it caused her entire body to shudder and fight to remain standing upright.

"And your hotheadedness is what nearly got the two of you killed!"

"Hey." Yang forced a grin and motioned at the unconscious bodies. "It all worked out didn't it? And now every faunus in the area has a reason not to trust the White Fang. When you and Sun went to that warehouse you told me there were hundreds of new recruits, and-"

"That was never your plan and we know it! You just wanted an excuse to punch someone and get punched back! Are you really this reckless or is this your way of punishing yourself for Ruby getting hurt!?"

 _*buzzzzt*_

 _*buzzzzt*_

An awkward silence filled the chilly air and Weiss was all too eager to glance down at her wrist scroll's belated aura alert which along with Yang's had just gone off.

"I guess none of us remembered to change settings after the mission," she said as they both removed the earpieces that only activated at a certain distance apart from teammates. "They're set to only go off after aura inactivity so they don't annoy us in battle. Ruby's idea, not that you two ever wear them anyway..."

Ignoring her continued anxious chatter, Blake rolled up her sleeve noting her low aura in the orange while the other two were deep in the red with her partner's barely hovering above zero. She frowned but soon found herself marveling that either were still on their feet. And even after all this time she couldn't help admiring their stubbornness and unyielding resolve, attributes her team had in spades but especially the girl who even while running off fumes would've ended the fight herself if she hadn't stepped in, and Blake suddenly found her first point rather mute as everything had gone _exactly_ as planned at least according to her partner.

Both girls shut off their scrolls and Yang set her jaw looking away while still cradling her arms. With a wry grin however, she gingerly reached into her heavy ammo belt which was mostly hidden by her jacket.

"Either way we got what we came for, and I didn't even need to use this."

She held up a silver fist with a pistol grip and two sawed-off shotgun barrels crudely welded on and spun it around as if she were a gunslinger.

Weiss took a step back and gaped. "I cannot believe you actually brought that _thing_ here."

"I was feeling a little _not-so-fun_ kinda naked so I decided to bring it as an insurance policy. And give me at least a little credit. You and Ruby haven't blown yourselves up yet so I must've done something right."

She holstered the makeshift weapon again sporting a proud grin, and Blake shook her head at how easily changing the subject came to her partner. But she also found herself secretly appreciative as it was difficult staying mad at upbeat girl for too long, sometimes infuriatingly so.

"So," Weiss drawled looking up at the faunus. "How did he know I wasn't Ruby?"

"He probably just remembered her voice or scent, or maybe he thought even _she_ wasn't that excitable and over-the-top." Blake smirked and stood on one foot while flapping her arms.

"I don't think so," Yang shook her head. "Your impression was spot on, and right now you could fall in a pile of _Schnee_ and come out smelling like a _Rose_."

"Thank you for that," she grumbled. "Has anyone ever said you have a way with words?"

"She's not wrong," Blake's nose twitched again. "You only used rose scented soaps and shampoos in the shower, and we practically bathed you in perfume, and-"

"Could've been literally if you'd been a good sport and taken us up on our kind offer."

" _And_ ," she nudged her partner, "the only reason it doesn't fool me is because we've all shared a room for so long."

"You saying you know my _sweet_ scent by heart, Blakey?" Yang poked her partner who shook her head again but couldn't help grinning at the girl's unwavering persistence to lighten the mood.

"Definitely _not_ the word I would use and let me rephrase, _'shared a room for too long'_..."

While the pair traded playful slaps, Weiss bit her lip not liking the conclusion. "So how did he know then?"

After a moment of thought Yang's eyes flickered. "Maybe he actually thought you were Rubes but your manicured nails gave you away. Or maybe my friend decided to kill two birds with one stone and _accidentally_ let something slip on the streets. And if that's the case my birthday just got even better..."

Her eyes flickered once more but she wobbled unsteadily before they grabbed hold of her.

"Thanks," she said, "for everything. I couldn't have done this without either of you."

Weiss beamed and Blake wiped her eyes looking down at the bodies strewn across the street, as well as the blood and remnants of dust.

"So what if this guy figures out the two of you aren't dead, or thinks that the girl with a cat-eared bow and black katana looks kinda familiar next to her teammates during the Vytal Festival?"

Yang shrugged seemingly more interested in her jacket's tear. "Something tells me most of these guys won't be walking anytime soon, or be wanting payback for that matter. And if they do give us a second thought they'll probably just think we got away somehow or you let us escape so the White Fang can kill the princess at a more convenient time. There's no way anyone actually saw you tonight, but didn't we already decide you'd wear a hood in the tournament and keep Gambol Shroud sheathed?"

Blake opened her mouth but slowly nodded. It'd been her partner who suggested this after she revealed her anxieties about fighting in front of an audience of tens of thousands while millions watched around Remnant. And now she couldn't help wondering if her leader wasn't the only natural born planner in her family, or if perhaps she simply might've picked it up somewhere.

"Plus, I think we've got bigger fish to worry about that some low-life info broker and his gang, and I wouldn't be too surprised if the Malachite twins were hanging around waiting for us to leave..."

The faunus barely heard her as she thought of the growing list of people who may want herself and her friends dead, but they were interrupted as Yang cleared her raw throat.

"You alright, Weiss?"

Blake turned to the small girl who glanced up having been quietly massaging her left arm while blood was frozen to her hand.

"Just pondering on my inevitable demise is all," she said coolly. "That and it's nice seeing someone else's jacket ruined for once. I'm starting to think your fashion-senseless sister might have the right idea about wearing economically inexpensive clothes that hide blood, sweat, and dirt, but I haven't quite decided yet."

Yang tilted her head. "Did you just call my baby sister cheap?"

"You're both cheap, just in different ways."

"Oh okay. For a second there I thought you were being rude. Next time we go shopping, follow Rubes out of the _women's_ department into the kids section with the playground, and-"

Blake coughed getting their attention. "I'm sorry for all that," she said, rubbing the back of her neck, watching as frost accumulated on the girl's sleeve in an attempt to numb the injury. "Not all faunus support the White Fang or hate your family, it just seems like we all do..."

Weiss looked indifferent but something seemed to tug on the side of her lip. "I already know that, Blake."

The dark haired girl nodded in thanks but couldn't help thinking how much difference a year makes as a night like this might've ended very differently for the heiress back then...

"I suppose I should be flattered that I'm to blame for all the _innocent_ lives _tragically_ lost on my family's stolen train. The same train and crew mind you that just so happened to be on their way to destroy the City of Vale and slaughter thousands of civilians. I believe I can live with that on my conscience."

"Weiss," Blake comforted, "we were there too."

"And Rubes was the only one who actually tried to save anybody." Yang grabbed their shoulders and gave a small smile that obviously pained her. "I don't think any of us have lost a minute of sleep thinking about a hundred White Fang members dying even though we probably could've done _something_. But I know for a fact that the little girl who jumped off a moving train and fought through a horde of Creeps sometimes can't sleep at night because of them."

Weiss' hand drifted toward her rapier. "I hate them," she murmured watching as the cape fluttered.

"And if the White Fang's really put a hit out on you then we shouldn't have brought you here," Yang finished looking upset with herself.

"Humph!" Weiss crossed her arms over her chest. "You told me you needed someone who doesn't shop in the _big girls_ department like the two of you do, and I've had a price on my head since I was born and faunus trying to kill me since I can remember."

Blake flinched and once again lowered her eyes at the thugs she was once no better than.

"Besides," she continued, "I have my friends watching my back now. Right, Blake?"

"Huh?" Her head shot up. "Oh, right. Of course..."

Yang nodded but her smile faltered as something occurred to her. "You know, this guy actually might've known you're Rubes' partner. And maybe thought he'd get some payback through her."

Both blinked but Blake was the first to speak. "It's not exactly a secret there's a Schnee attending Beacon, or who her teammates, leader and partner are..."

Weiss pulled the cloak closer as she shuddered. Lowering her cold gaze, she realized who the large wolf faunus might've been waiting for and her aching hand tightened around Myrtenaster, and Yang understanding the look on her face all too well squeezed her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," she said kindly. "Rubes could've taken care of these guys with her feet tied together and in a corset two sizes too small, and she's not dumb enough to come to the shady side of town without aura."

"No only we are," Blake snapped not completely willing to let this go. "You can't even stop a knife with your aura."

Yang yawned already tired of the conversation. "Which was red dust imbued if you hadn't noticed."

"And I've seen you grab Myrtenaster barehanded."

"Um, imbued and _infused_ aren't exactly the same-" The resident dust expert was cut off by the girl in black who held up a hand.

"But you're right," Blake relented. "White Fang recruitment probably won't go over real well next time around, and we got what we came for."

She motioned at the caped-girl's belt where a manila envelope was tucked into her waistband, and blue eyes widened having forgotten it was there while Yang's seemed have been avoiding it altogether.

Weiss retrieved the package with an reluctant hand and silently asked Yang to take it but was pushed away with the intent clear on her face. If it wasn't good news she wanted it broken to her gently, and she trusted her friends with whatever trouble her sister might've gotten herself into as they'd been the ones to get them _both_ out of it.

Smooth, supple fingers broke the seal and their owner paused looking for the older sister's permission.

Yang glanced at the other girl. "Blake, be honest with me. Why do _you_ think she's been coming here?"

Their eyes caught and the faunus lightly touched her arm. "I think your sister's been coming here for the _exact_ same reasons you do."

The blonde bit her lip looking disheartened which only caused her partner's reassuring smile to grow. "For someone who talks so much about coming here for _'fine drinks and finer guys',_ you sure know a lot about info brokers. And I think you're more like your sister than you're willing to admit..."

Yang sniffed, wiped her nose and motioned for the envelope to be opened with her hair covering her face.

Weiss watched her with unreadable eyes but obeyed. With the shattered moon hanging high above, she retrieved several packets of paper as well as a small photo that fell to the ground which Blake stooped down to retrieve.

On the back was a large black question mark which she knew hadn't been from Ruby as it wasn't written in red crayon. Flipping it over was a young woman with long dark hair wearing a white dress shirt that was left unbuttoned at the top and sitting in a position that greatly emphasized her rather _short_ red skirt. The young woman looked to be posing for someone as she partially withdrew a long curved blade from its sheath while giving the camera holder a crooked, sultry grin that took up most of her face.

Blake chuckled shaking her head at the photo's subject who left little to the imagination and might've been a model if it weren't for her weapon and the familiarity in which she held it.

Inspecting the image closer, she noted how the colors had faded some and assumed it must've been either a bad copy or possibly poorly developed as the fringes of the woman's hair looked reminiscent of feathers and her eyes glowed crimson with pupils barely visible. There was also a strange white streak off to the side her face, but the harder Blake looked the more she realized that the uniform's colors as well as her large mane, warm crimson eyes, and even crooked grin were all too familiar.

Breathlessly, she held the picture up to her partner's profile and gaped.

"Yang?" She swallowed. "This looks like-"

"You!" Weiss cried looking up from the papers with scarlet cheeks.

Blake handed the photo over to her partner who studied the photo with a bored look about her.

"That's because her name's Raven Branwen," she said sounding just as disinterested. "She's my mom..."

The monochrome pair stared at her as if waiting for an explanation but the girl didn't seem in a hurry, or even surprised.

"My dad took this when they were about our age. Even back then they'd known they were made for each other, and I guess you could say my mom wasn't exactly _camera shy_."

"She um, doesn't exactly seem too _modest_ either," Weiss said with an awkward yet not unkindly voice.

"She had absolutely nothing to be modest about..." Yang smiled fondly at the woman in the photo but something haunted her words making the night seem a tad colder.

"Summer was the only one who really kept any pictures of the team, but after what happened in Patchwork we lost most of them. And most of my dad's pictures look a little something like this."

Yang held the picture up mimicking the pose and expression, and the two couldn't help seeing the many resemblances.

With mist in her eyes and her smile fading, she lowered her head. "She's beautiful..." Yang murmured, touching the woman's face. "I'm really glad Rubes chose this one..."

Weiss coughed and pretended to go back to the papers as something in her eyes was making it difficult to read, but Blake continued staring at the photo preciously held in calloused hands that were stained red.

"Why would Ruby come all the way out here with a picture of your mom?"

Her partner sighed and fidgeted a bit with her hair then her torn jacket, and finally shrugged wearing a sheepish look. "I don't think Ruby's ever really believed me when I'd tell her what I was doing late at night. Even when I'd sneak into bed smelling like a nightclub and go into _vivid_ detail about what I'd been up to and why I was covered in sweat, she'd still give me funny looks." Yang wiped the sheen from her rueful face and held it up as if it were evidence.

"I'm not sure if she followed me into town one night or if Rubes just knows me too well, either way she knows I don't _always_ come around looking for a good time. _Sometimes_ I come looking for answers. And _sometimes_ they're about my mom, the kind no one else will give me."

"Oh..."

"Most guys start spilling everything they know once we've both had a few drinks, but others need a little more persuasion..." She pointed at the unconscious info broker and looked at her friends almost apologetically. "I guess both of you know that too now..."

The pair glanced at one another with knowing smiles and twinkling eyes.

"Don't give yourself too much credit there, _party girl,_ " Blake said with a smirk as well as a wink. "We know you better than that, and you're nowhere _near_ as bad as you make yourself out to be."

"Even if we do find you more than a little exasperating at times," Weiss added mirroring her expression. "But it's like she said, you're more like your sister than you're willing to admit."

Yang's face brightened with the first amount of color in hours and suddenly seemed very interested in her economically inexpensive boots. After a moment she cleared her throat and clapping her hands together she motioned for them to keep going through the envelope's contents, but couldn't help focusing on the question mark on the back of the woman's photo.

While Weiss squinted to read the papers, Blake noticed something green sticking out between the pages and removed it.

It was a sketch of another young woman, and she instantly recognized it as having been drawn by her surprisingly talented leader. It was hard to tell, but the tanned skinned girl seemed to be about their age, but her only real distinguishable features were a dark green cloak with a hood that partially covered her chocolate brown hair, as well as her matching eyes that seemed to glow with a slight orange hue off the paper even in the dark.

"Who's this?" she asked handing the picture over.

Yang frowned and slowly turned it over seeing another question mark. "Ruby, you idiot..."

"Yang?" her partner raised a brow.

"At least I know you're smart enough not to give her name..."

Blake was surprised to hear what sounded like disappointment in her voice, and glanced at Weiss but she was too busy reading to notice.

"Yang," she asked again. "Who is she? And why would Ruby draw a picture of her?"

"No one you need to worry about." Yang paused as her words had come out more harshly than she intended. "Sorry, but she's a close family friend and there's a _very_ good reason why we don't carry pictures of her. And Ruby knows better than to have some info broker start digging. But I guess it doesn't make much of a difference now..."

Blake slowly nodded seeing with her own eyes the many emotions on her partner's face. "Did something happen to her?"

Yang swallowed a large lump in her throat as her eyes threatened to flicker. "You could say that..."

She looked away and crumbled the piece of paper into a ball, and as she did Blake noticed red fingerprints all over the paper and even saw a few on the photo as well.

"Sorry, Rubes, but that's not going on the refrigerator back home."

After a moment to regain her composure, she turned to Weiss, and Blake thought that for the first time that her partner looked as though she wished her friends were no longer there.

"Whatcha ya got there?"

The caped-girl bit her lip squinting. "I'm not sure. They might be her aura records but I can't tell. There's a lot of spikes in the beginning and other stuff I don't understand."

Yang eagerly took them off her hands but flipped through them lazily. "They're her's. Starting from when her aura first unlocked and I suddenly had the world's fastest younger sister to do all my chores, to what looks like her last semester at Signal where I took advantage of her super speed every chance I had thinking it'd be my last opportunity at three minute food deliveries while also getting in some last minute corruption for Dad to deal with. Now she's your problem."

"Thanks for that, but why wouldn't she just go to the lab if she wanted tests done?"

The larger girl was quiet for a moment as she contemplated something. Finally she looked up from the papers unconcerned. "She's not seventeen yet. Rubes would need Dad's permission first to see anything sealed and wasn't current. And these are actually illegal for this guy to have now that I think about it..."

"Why would she need to see anything else?"

"And what about her aura spikes?" Blake asked, eyes moving between her partner and the packet. "Those look like they started not long after her aura unlocked, a few years _before_ it should've started really developing."

Yang held the papers up at an angle so the faunus couldn't see, and flipped through them again as if she hadn't heard.

"What's the last paper say?"

Both girls glanced down at the final packet in Weiss' hand.

"It's a hospital record, I think," she said, having to squint due to the small print and poor lighting. "All I can read is-"

"-Beowolf victim?" Blake said aloud. "Wait, is this-"

Before she could finish, the papers was plucked from Weiss' hands and Yang barely took a glance before it along with the aura charts burst into flames from a spark that traveled down her mane, and was followed by the crumbled picture of the mysterious girl, and after the slightest hesitation, the photo of her mother.

"Yang!" Blake cried as her glove burned away and her hand began to blister without their usual protection.

Once all that was left was a pile of ash on the ground, Yang dusted her hands and glanced up as though nothing happened.

"Come on, let's go home. It's late, I'm cold and hungry, I could really use a shower, and I'd rather not stick around for Weiss to get mugged again."

She turned leaving Blake and Weiss but only got a few feet when she stumbled.

"If you two wanna stay here that's fine. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Yang took a few a few more steps each one looking more painful than the last while the small flame at her side burned a little brighter.

Without a word, the pair followed the only source of answers they had, taking her by the shoulders and began the long trek back home.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry..."

"Don't mention it, _sis_. Dinner's on us..."

 _*sniffle*_

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I deeply apologize for the long wait and must thank you again for your incredible patience as it honestly could not be helped. As you can see, it's a great deal longer than usual and having this story in my head for over a year I wanted it to be perfect for you. I did consider splitting this chapter into two but that would've hurt the flow in my opinion. I hope the chapter did not overstay its welcome as I had a lot of fun writing it. I loved the interactions with Yang and her friends as well as getting to see the unstoppable cornerstone in a fight again as well as our favorite champion fencer and katana wielding ninja. I hope Yang's jokes weren't taken too far as I honestly did get a kick out of them and enjoyed hearing Blake and Weiss' thoughts on her 'party girl' image. I especially like the idea that both Ruby and Yang are a lot like their moms, but how much is them trying to be like them and how much is simple 'like mother, like daughter' is up to you. I also really loved the idea that most of what Yang has to remember her mother by are pictures of a stunningly beautiful woman that she perhaps tries to** **emulate. As I said, that's up to you and I hope you enjoyed.**

 **As this narrative continues, I can't help but worry sometimes that team RWBY have grown away from their show counterparts as they have many different backstories, personality quirks, motivations, and even abilities. So thank you so very much for following along on their journey and all of your support, and I hope I've done them justice and treated them all with the respect they deserve. I hope this story captures their spirit as that's what I fell in love with and I hope you enjoy. Thank you for all your amazing support as there have been days where writing was the last thing I wanted to do but you got me smiling again even hours into editing sessions. The Lord has truly blessed me with you and He answers my prayers sometimes before I even know what to pray for. In my weakness His strength is made perfect.**

 **Once again, thank you so very much for your support and for being so incredibly patient with me. Thank you for all of the followers, favorites, reviews, PMs, shout outs, and humble readers. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sunshine in a World of Black and White

* * *

From atop his unkempt bunk, a napping corgi's ears perked up as the door handle slowly turned and a girl wearing all black peered inside through the crack. Her bow twitched and her sharp eyes surveyed the dim empty room, and his tiny stump began to wag back and forth as she opened the door wider motioning for two other girls to follow.

The shorter was dressed head to toe as his fellow pup and wore her long red blanket that he adored cuddling together with, and his body shivered as the girl with the cool face to lick had the very best fingernails for scratching. Towering over her was the mighty pack leader, the formerly little girl with pigtails who had pulled the two pups in a little red wagon down the hill every day and whose laughter caused the one riding with him infinite joy. She didn't look very happy now, but he knew that would change once her little pup returned safely, it always did.

They made a good team he and the alpha, who was even generous enough to let the beta play as their pack leader on occasion. But while she comforted his fellow pup to the very best of her abilities, only he properly cleaned her face when water leaked from her eyes and correctly treated her knees when she fell. It was his duty after all, and she was the sole reason why the slurring man had brought him home in the first place, and he was always very generous with belly rubs when he was around, and often sent the girl into hysterics even before the alpha jumped in to _help_.

"It's a dog's life..." muttered the one that always vaguely smelled like cat. "Coast is clear, Ruby must still be downstairs."

His humans were home, but his fellow pup was still missing...

"Told ya."

"Hey watch it, Yang!" cried a sharp voice.

Holding onto the wall for support, the blonde stumbled forward not paying any mind to the small figure she nearly trampled over on her path to the bathroom, unzipping and shrugging off her jacket as she went. Behind her, the figure lowered her hood and watched as the bloodstained garment was unceremoniously tossed across the room onto a sparkly tile floor. The larger girl leaned against the mini-fridge catching her breath, but after realizing where she was retrieved a bottle hidden in the back that had been labeled _'Yang's extra special strawberry juice'_ which she opened with her teeth, and was emptied and her ruined shirt nearly over her head by the time she took the few agonizing steps into the bathroom where the door was slammed shut and locked behind her.

Neither girl could hardly breathe as their eyes fixated on the wooden door, or more precisely on the disturbing scene before it had closed. Yang tan shoulders and biceps had been completely covered in bandages, but those on her left had been stained crimson like her jacket and appeared as though they'd been through a fire, and those tightly wrapped around her torso looked as though they might have been holding the sides of her body together. And what little skin on her back they'd seen had been bright pink with blotchy discolored patches indicating where her fire had burned its way out.

"At least she's going in there _before_ getting undressed," the pretend caped-girl choked out. "Y-you think she might make a habit of it?"

"What do you think?" Blake replied softly, her bow pinning back as she heard stifled groans and what may have been a weak sob from the other side of the door.

The girl in black reached out with an unsteady hand across the room but it fell by her side hanging uselessly. "Yang..."

The monochrome pair caught each other's eyes where deep shadows resided underneath, and wordlessly dragged themselves to their respective bottom bunks to sit. Zwei, now fully alert after his nap hopped down beside the faunus who was far too tired to be startled, and waited in front of the girl still wearing his favorite blanket to scoop him up. Bringing her frilly boots onto the pristine bed and now safely in her lap, he curled up into a furry ball as his ears were played with by the older pup whose bark was much worse than her bite, and who also had a hidden talent for belly rubs.

Although his favorite perch was from atop the perpetually messy bunk with pictures taped to the wall, he'd grown accustomed of the bottom bed back home as his fellow pup had only climbed to the top when the alpha was away or after a particularly bad dream. In those instances she rarely had to climb up herself though as more often than not a large hand would effortlessly pull her up into a tight embrace and he got to be pleasantly crushed in between his two favorite people.

However, the master of belly rubs' bottom bunk had by far the softest, most comfortable sheets and pillows he had ever sampled, and even had tasty treats hidden under the mattress which made for excellent bribes for when she needed someone to clean her eyes late at night.

"What're we gonna do, puppy-tart?" she asked as if speaking to a small child.

He had no answer besides the occasional whimper while he drooled on her borrowed combat skirt.

 _*psssshhhh*_

The sound of running water came from the other room as the shower kicked on, which for Yang was usually scalding hot and it wasn't uncommon for steam to escape from the unseen gaps of the door frame, as well as the fragrance of her many soaps, shampoos, and conditioners that were only rivaled in strength by Weiss' bubble baths and her own potent cleansers.

Being four girls sharing a small room together, staying clean was simply the convention rather than the rule, especially given the almost daily training exercises that pushed every muscle to its limit and often left combatants soaked in sweat, and bruised if not also bloodied. Of course there were convenient showers in the girls locker room downstairs, but those were rarely used as most female students preferred returning to the place they called home for long soaks in the tub before showering off the day's grunge, even if it meant _patiently_ taking turns or when that wasn't an option, fighting over who got the shower and who got the bathtub with possible rotations while the other two waited their turns.

Their leader was the only one who could seemingly function properly with perspiration drenching her clothes, dirt grated on her skin, and even blood matted in her hair. And because of this, as well as her sense of duty which no one dared argue with, she was usually left with whatever lukewarm water remained after her roommates' lengthy cleansing rituals. Her patience may have had something to do with Crescent Rose's proper maintenance calling for cooler water, but she claimed the bubbles and rubber duck attachment were strictly for aesthetic purposes only and not because she, the duck, and sometimes the dog pretended to hunt aquatic Grimm like her sister and friends suspected she did.

 _*THUD*_

Both girls flinched as something sounding vaguely like a fist being driven into the wall echoed from the bathroom, and was followed by a low moan. Unlike Weiss' angelic voice or even those who couldn't help but try to emulate or sing duets in the bathroom with her, the wonderful acoustics did nothing to help the forlorn voice from sounding any less haunting.

Zwei appeared not to have noticed the disturbance as his eyes had glazed over not long before closing, but the hand rubbing his belly began to shake as she remembered the bloody knuckles and injured arms cradled against the girl's chest, as well as the unforgettable image of a broken body lying in a crater filling with blood and black tar while a small girl sobbed because her heart had been ripped out. A feeling that was shared between her friends.

Absently, Weiss massaged her bandaged arm mimicking the methodical movements on the corgi, and glanced up at the clock on the far wall surprised by how late it was and that the fourth member of the team still hadn't returned. She hardly cared if she was caught impersonating her partner now. She just wished for everyone to be where they belonged.

Perhaps it was only because the shadows under her eyes, but the cozy room seemed much darker than she remembered, and far chillier than the city they had left behind. The trek back to the dorm had been long and tiring with the larger girl resting on their shoulders most of the way. Once they reached the campus however, the proud girl somehow managed to walk on her own leading them and giving the few students still roaming the halls good reason to have nightmares for the next week. Not only because of the crimson glare she gave to any eyes that lingered on her figure too long, something already very uncharacteristic of her, but also because whoever tore Yang Xiao Long's jacket and caused her to bleed wasn't likely to be conscious anytime soon, and wouldn't be very thankful _if_ they ever woke again.

Not a word had been said to them as the huntsmen in-training had far too much common sense and self-preservation to needlessly risk their lives, and with the Schnee heiress noticeably absent it made them nervous that the constant death threats she made to the fiery blonde's younger sister might've finally pushed her over the edge, not that too many would've blamed her.

Even their small, happy-go-lucky leader gave them adequate reason to keep their distance and voices low. The faceless figure beneath the cloak was neither happy-go-lucky nor did she skip down the halls with sweet smelling rose petals following her. Instead, she had marched behind her sister in a no-nonsense yet dignified manner with deceptively loud stomps for such a petite girl that mirrored her cold demeanor, and caused the already frightened students to wonder whether the stories of her grisly injuries were simply rumor or if perhaps she was even tougher than the wild tales of her killing hundreds of adult Grimm with already torn muscles and tattered feet made her out to be.

A terrifying thought to be sure, but all too believable for those who knew her older sister...

The girl in black hadn't been given a second glance but that wasn't too unusual considering who her partner was, and self-admittedly she preferred keeping to the shadows of her friends and rather enjoyed watching the unlucky students scattering from the school's most dangerous _sisters,_ and hearing what others had to say about the knockout and her hyperactive sister behind their backs was always amusing.

They'd been grateful that Jaune had been revived at some point so they didn't have to step over him being as exhausted as they were, but Blake was especially glad as he was likely telling stories of how the once sweet and innocent Ruby Rose had turned into a shrieking cold blooded monster before his very eyes.

"Do you think Ruby's alright?" Weiss asked, breaking the silence as well as the other girl's scattered train of thought.

Blake seemed to ponder her words for a moment but finally nodded. "I'll go check on her in a little while, but Yang was probably right earlier about her being asleep. And I don't think either of us could stop her from carrying Ruby back up here."

"That's not what I meant," she breathed, knowing she hadn't been misunderstood. "I'm talking about the papers she was wanting. Did you get a good look at them?"

She shook her head. "Better than you, but I didn't understand half that stuff. To be honest I've never actually even seen a copy of _my_ aura charts. I just thought the spike in her aura looked strange and was going off both of your reactions."

"What about that hospital record?" Weiss barely choked out. "Did you see anything else, other than the part about B-Beowolves?" She kept an unsteady hand tickling the corgi's belly, but with the other she brushed red tipped hair out of her eyes then began twirling one of the cross pendants fastened to the cape as if it were already a nervous habit.

"No," Blake lowered her head. "All I saw was what looked like a report about a Beowolf victim, and given the circumstances that's something I'd rather not read. And seeing how quickly Yang set it on fire, I know she didn't want us reading it either..."

A hush fell upon the room and both girls' eyes slowly drifted toward the cloak. "Do you think it was about her mom?" Weiss whispered, her hand tracing patterns on the soft fabric. "Ruby's mom, I mean."

Blake bit her lip as the smaller girl's hand drifted toward her belt where beneath the cloak Myrtenaster had been hiding from prying eyes, and when she finally found the ability to speak again the room's temperature plummeted and every scathing word she uttered was visible in the air.

"If I'd thought for one second that miserable fiend was going to give Ruby a copy of her mother's death certificate. and had been wanting to see her reaction when she read it, I'd have-"

"Me too..." Blake met the cold eyes with her own and played with the dark hair over her shoulder revealing the hilt of a katana.

Weiss seeing the sincerity in her plumed words nodded, and a moment later the room temperature returned to normal but both could still feel a bitter chill.

"I just realized we never got to talk about this morning," she said between labored breaths. "Did you see the look on Yang's face when Professor Ozpin gave Ruby that huntsman emblem?"

For a moment Blake's face was one of confusion, but slowly it turned to surprise that it had only been earlier that day they'd been called to Goodwitch's office thinking her partner had gotten them all in trouble again, possibly due to the frequent delivery boys passed out in front of their door, only to receive the headmaster's praise and their leader a reward.

"Yeah, I saw it. Ruby said their uncle has one just like it, but I'm guessing Yang doesn't see that as a good thing. And I'd wager a guess that's who Yang was messaging before she caught up with us."

Weiss nodded but furrowed her brow. "Have you ever heard of _'The Guardian's Token'_ before?"

The girl in black shrugged. "Of course, but nothing Ozpin didn't say or you wouldn't already know. The huntsmen of old carried them to show which kingdom they'd sworn to protect, even if it'd gone through half a dozen name changes since the time they were born. They stopped being carried some time after the academies were built, which was around when the monarchies fell..."

She glanced up looking expectantly but the affluent girl with a bed imported all the way from Atlas didn't seem to notice.

"If this wasn't all happening at once I would've just assumed the two of them were being petty about their uncle again and fighting over who's his favorite."

Despite her exhaustion and deep rooted worry, Blake couldn't help but smile fondly at the sisterly rivalry that could become rather violent at the drop of a hat but forgotten just as suddenly. She'd lost count how many times she'd witnessed the elder get punched in the face only for her to laugh it off and sit on the younger's chest, tickling her long after she had begged for mercy.

"They make such compelling arguments," she remarked dryly.

Her smile turned infectious and Weiss' head rocked back in laughter with Blake soon joining her. While neither found the remark particularly humorous, they felt lightheaded from the last drops adrenaline wearing off and to say the sisters were a _little_ over the top would've been a serious understatement, but to speak anything less of them would almost feel disrespectful for how much they had come to mean to the both of them.

"How did we wind up with the craziest pair of partners?" Weiss asked between indignant snorts, covering her bright face.

Blake somewhat regained her composure and gave a sheepish grin that was mirrored across from her almost instantly.

"Because they make us better people, and we keep them from killing themselves."

The pair fell silent as the truth rang clear for them both. They could still remember what life had been like before sharing a room with such quirky sisters, and neither was particularly proud of who they'd once been. Deep down they liked to believe who they were now had simply been waiting for Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long to pull them out of the cold and the darkness, but who their former selves had been was still too fresh in their minds. They had smiled and laughed more in the passing months than they had their entire lives, and although they gave the sisters the bulk of the credit for their transformations, much was also quietly given to each other despite neither particularly believing their own pardons were deserved.

Weiss politely stifled a yawn as the long night along with sore muscles and aura exhaustion began catching up with her smaller frame, and listening to the hypnotic sounds of running water she tried rubbing the sleep out of her eyes but inevitably gravity won a hard fought battle. Leaning against the leg of the top bunk with a sleeping corgi still in her lap, she hummed a soft tune reminiscent of a lullaby while Blake's eyes lingered where her makeup had smeared.

She swallowed as something tightened in her chest as well as her throat. "I'm sorry for what happened, with the faunus I mean..." Her words had been spoken so softly she half expected not to have been heard by the dozing girl, and almost wished she hadn't.

"I told you not to worry about it," Weiss admonished lazily. "I was the bait and had the both of you watching my back, and they weren't the first faunus to try and kill me."

A sharp knife twisted in Blake's chest heating up the longer she watched the impassive face with its only flaw no longer concealed.

"Listen, Weiss." Her heart quickened and her mouth became increasingly dry. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you..."

Finally, at the urgency of her friend's distraught voice, Weiss' eyes fluttered open and stared back into the faunus' whose were remorseful and entirely focused on the left side of her face.

"I-It's about-"

"I don't wanna hear it," she snapped, causing the dark haired girl to wince as something cold stirred out of hibernation.

Weiss brushed the red tips away this time deliberately smearing her makeup. After the damage was done, she awkwardly reached under her bunk and a moment later retrieved a blue cloth of fine material that was contrary to her cool skin. With gentle strokes the warm cloth began removing the many layers of makeup from her face, and all the while Blake watched feeling almost self-conscious of a task normally kept private and not too unlike accidentally seeing her indecent.

Rarely had the heiress' roommates ever seen her without even a light layer of makeup as she normally waited until the lights were out for bedtime before removing it, and occasionally even slept in a special brand. Rising every morning, she would drag herself past the steaming hot coffee poured and expertly doctored by her partner just the way she like it in order to reapply a heavy, albeit graceful face over her own in the privacy of the other room.

Due to Yang's earlier assistance, the task was made longer than usual but once her practiced hand was finished, Weiss set the cloth aside and her pale face stared across the room as if there was nothing strange about the unprecedented moment, and that Blake wasn't clearly unsettled by it.

"Now, if you have anything _else_ you'd like to discuss-"

"Please," her hoarse voice cracked sounding almost painful. "I need to get this off my chest or else-"

"And I told you I don't want to hear it."

With her sharp tone conveying she being perfectly content with silence, Blake's gaze fell to the floor in order to hide the slowly accumulating mist in her eyes. Bringing her boots onto the bed, she pressed her knees against her chest and hung her head in between.

"If I told you any of the things I'd done or been a part of with the White Fang, would that change anything between us?"

When her morose question didn't receive an immediate answer, she contemplated crawling beneath the covers still dressed and await sleep that wasn't likely to come that night, but with willpower she didn't know she possessed, Blake glanced up just as the other girl turned away toward the makeup mirror sitting on the desk, scowling at the imperfect face glaring back at her.

"Blake, in case you haven't realized by now but I'm _very_ good at holding grudges, and I've held them since I was a little girl." There was sadness and just as much bitterness in her small voice, but she spoke plainly almost sounding comfortable with a tone that was all too familiar to her lips, and Blake's sharp eyes couldn't help but notice her hand balled into a fist and her dull nails leaving red marks in her flesh.

"I will _never_ be able to shake hands with a faunus without thinking of the time my uncle did seconds before fell over dead with a hole where his shriveled black heart used to be. For the rest of my life I will remember the Christmas where over a dozen board members were executed while their families watched, and when I made the unfortunate mistake of asking Father when the guests were to arrive..."

Her lip curled and her features tightened as a gust of wintry flurries blew through the room. "We might not have the cleanest hands, but the only reason Schnee deaths aren't as common anymore is because we're running out of family members to bury..."

Blake felt numbness and malaise throughout her body as her shadow began to shrink, but before it could disappear completely the girl opposite from her cleared her throat and spoke with a warmth not too unlike the sisters, particularly the elder.

"However, you should also know by now that the answer to your question is _no_ , Blake," she said emphatically, her curled lip twitching. "We have been friends far too long and been through far too much for it to suddenly change now, but..." Weiss played with the silky wig in her eyes fighting the stinging sensation she felt. "But it would really, _really_ hurt to hear you say what I can already guess, and I can't promise I wouldn't say or do something stupid that I would immediately regret again."

Blake's heart having skipped a few beats, wasn't sure if she'd misheard or simply imagined her words, and honestly wasn't exactly sure what she'd been _wanting_ to hear.

Weiss let out a deep breath blowing the red tips from her face just as she'd seen countless times. "The night you ran away I regretted everything I'd said almost immediately, not because what I said isn't how I honestly feel about the faunus, but because it hurt _you_. I wasn't angry or stopped trusting you because you're a faunus, because truthfully, before I met the three of you I liked about as many faunus as I did regular humans, and that included family."

Her lip twitched again as they both knew what she said was the truth, and that the girl across from her wasn't too dissimilar.

"It was that you didn't trust us when we-" She swallowed what felt like razor blades "When _I_ trusted you. And yes, I suppose finding out you were once a member of a terrorist organization sworn to kill every Schnee may not have helped matters, but I still went out looking for you the next day with both Ruby _and_ Yang, which I deserve a medal for."

A friendly smile crept on Blake's face and when she looked up saw another looking back at her twice as wide.

"So please, Blake, whatever it is please bury it, at least for now. What I don't know won't hurt me, and it'll keep me from doing something stupid like hurting the _four_ of us again."

Blake sniffled wiping her eyes and nodded. "I will, and thank you..." Her grin widened as a sweet scent caused her nose to twitch. "You know, what you said kinda reminds me of someone..."

The caped-girl followed her eyes down at the cloak then at the somewhat restrictive corset and shrugged.

"Let's not be too hasty now, but I suppose being Ruby's partner it was inevitable some of her less _doltish_ traits would begin to rub off. And I suppose being either completely clueless or being able to turn the other cheek even when your sister comes home reeking of decadence aren't the worst qualities to have..." Weiss paused looking as though she were having difficulty sounding out her next words. "And I suppose neither is being able to forgive and have sympathy for a hundred wretched men on a train who weren't the least bit deserving of kindness, and losing sleep because of them even though there was nothing you could've done to save them right after they just tried to murder you, your sister, your friends, and everyone in your city..."

She slowly twirled the cross pendant closest to her heart and shook her head incredulously.

"Maybe one day I'll be more like her, but right now we're all better off if I'm kept in the dark about what you did in the past, and that for instance I don't know the specifics of how a Schnee train was stolen by the White Fang." She gave an ever so slight crooked smirk. "Blake, whatever you want forgiveness for, it's yours. I don't have much to give right now and it might very be all I ever have, but it's more than you'll ever need from me, and I'd be very appreciative if you could say the same thing to about a _sometimes_ difficult and fussy Schnee that you share a room with."

Blake chuckled and opened her mouth to speak but to her surprise nothing came out. Across from her, Weiss didn't say a word nor did her friendly expression change, but being together for so long the dark haired girl knew where to look to find evidence that the _Ice Queen_ did in fact have emotions and feelings, and without all the layers of makeup it was plain to see the hurt beginning to creep into her all too understanding eyes.

Being born a faunus in the unforgiving land of Menagerie, hating the northern kingdom of Atlas was almost like a birthright for her kind, but words weren't strong enough to describe how those in the White Fang felt for a particular family that went from ruling kingdoms on thrones to bankrupting them from lofty skyscrapers because of an old dust mine once thought to be empty.

The girl sitting across from her wasn't the only one who remembered that particular Christmas several years ago, or the day one of the faunus' most vocal adversaries was assassinated by a never to be forgotten martyr. She remembered those tragic days well because they had been ones of great celebration for her _brothers_ and _sisters,_ and especially for _him_...

"You're not your family," Blake said at last, having a slight bitter taste to her mouth. "And being a Schnee isn't a crime, but it might be awhile until _my_ doltish partner completely rubs off on me too. If there's anything you believe you need forgiveness for which you shouldn't, it's yours, Weiss."

The heiress stared and this time even the faunus had difficulty reading her expression. "Then I believe they've got their work cut out for them, but seeing how much damage they've done in four months I'm sure Ruby and Yang will have us straightened out by four years time."

Both girls snorted and naturally their gazes fell to the cloak, combat skirt, boots, wig, and of course corset. Their eyes met with Weiss' not so subtly drifting towards the unkempt bunk above the other girl's head before adjusting the top of her corset with an innocent grin that was anything but.

Blake glanced down at herself with speckles of scarlet on her cheeks. "Granted I have _far_ less to show off than her, but I'm not wearing a crop top and _short_ shorts with an ammo belt for a mini-skirt, all of which barely cover her-"

 _*click*_

Startled faces turned just as steam rushed out the open door and a tall shapely figure came into view posing against the door frame with a heavy belt across her shoulder and a wet towel laying on the floor. Long locks fell below her waist having a golden sheen despite being damp, and she wore a low cut orange tank top that would've exposed her midriff if not for her fresh yellow bandages, as well as black shorts that gave a substantial view of her long legs except for her right thigh and knee which were also covered.

Staring back at the surprised girls, she glanced down at herself lingering for awhile with a sultry smile that looked as though it might slip off the side of her face.

"I believe the word you're looking for is _assets_..."

She chuckled lightly while the pair blinked wondering how long ago the shower had turned off, and immediately became suspicious whether the flippant blonde's hard of hearing had more to do with her tuning everything out rather than what they'd believed was the direct result of the years of shooting guns and playing loud music which the sisters were both so very fond of.

What left them speechless however was seeing their roommate in something other than long sleeves and pants which she had worn everyday since the mission, going so far as to volunteer for laundry duty just to make sure her limited supply didn't run out every other day. Even her pajamas had been uncharacteristically consisting of sweatpants and baggy shirts which would've been unflattering on anyone _except_ her, which along with having impossibly perfect hair, her friends couldn't help being the least bit annoyed and envious of.

That was the Yang they had come to expect as of late which while unsettling neither girl was going to complain about her newfound modesty, but perhaps as a sign of trust and/or humility, she had dug around the bathroom's cupboard where along with spare towels they each kept a few extra pair of pajamas, and in the heiress' case conservative nightgowns, as well as a change of comfortable clothes for convenience.

And luckily for the boisterous blonde, Weiss' frequent comments about her _'scraps of cloth'_ being able to fit in tiny zip-lock bags wasn't completely unfounded, meaning she could store twice as much in less than half the room, which came in handy considering the four girls' closet, dressers, bathroom cupboard, and many other imaginative storage spaces were overflowing with huntress attire, casual wear, uniforms, pajamas, dresses, and an assortment of other clothes half of which had never been worn, along with what may have been the most varied yet colorful shoe collection in all of Remnant.

Barefoot and freshly showered with pruned pink skin, the pair sitting on their bunks noted that her facial bruising had almost completely healed but dozens were still lingering about her body which seemed to be held together by bright yellow bandages that also covered her chest and shoulders as well as biceps. The girls shook their heads not only amazed that she could still stand on her feet, but also that her wrappings resembled athletic tape and didn't look at all unseemly tightly wrapped around her form.

It was no secret that Yang Xiao Long was proud of her body, and that if she went to the trouble of covering it she had good reason and would still somehow manage to look as though she belonged on the cover of a beauty magazine. Normally the only proof she carried on her body that she was a huntress in-training at all were the callouses on her hands, but even those came and went as she pleased due to her aura, and seemingly only stuck around because of a little girl who found comfort in the rougher hands of her fierce protector.

"So, what do ya think?" She motioned down at herself. "We getting free food tonight?" With half lidded eyes and a crooked grin, she watched the monochrome pair waiting for any sort of reaction, but when nothing satisfactory to her standards was found she detached herself from the doorway with a grimace and a slight limp. Although the terrible injuries she'd sustained weeks prior were on near full display for the first time since their time in the hospital together, more than anything she looked exhausted with the shadows under her eyes darker than their own.

Hobbling over to the desk, she dropped her stylish ammo belt with its skirt-like satchels beside the mirror nearly knocking it over in the process, and gritting her teeth she gingerly lifted a bare leg over the chair sitting backwards with her arms folded over the back to rest her head. As the smaller girls tended to be the only ones who sat at the desk, the seat or ' _kiddie chair'_ as she called it, sat lower to the ground causing the much larger girl to slouch uncomfortably with her long legs outstretched and her lifeless body practically hanging over the back support.

Her eyes had been closed during the painful process but when they reopened, cloudy lilac found the heiress where they quickly softened.

"You look better without makeup, Weiss," she said matter-of-factly. "You really do."

Blake's breath caught as she slowly turned unsure what sort of reaction might erupt, but the pale girl's face simply remained impassive before averting her gaze.

The partners' eyes caught but if Yang heard any of the conversation from the other room while stealthily drying and bandaging herself she wasn't letting on. Instead, she continued brandishing that sideways smirk of her's that always left them guessing whether she already knew the secrets of the universe or only somewhat reliably knew her way to class and regularly misplaced things.

"Listen," Yang breathed, the pinkness of her face slowly departing. "I know we can't just pretend that tonight never happened, and that the two of you deserve some answers after everything you've been through." She clapped her hands excitedly and rubbed them together. "So if you have any questions you better ask now before the pizza gets here or else _somebody_ is going to puke watching me talk with my mouth full."

All eyes including the stirring corgi's turned to the caped-girl who seemed to be fighting nausea just from thinking about it.

"First of all," she stated, puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms over her chest. "Your sleep attire barely constitutes as half-decent undergarments, which I'm sure by now are _all_ in the dirty clothes bin awaiting decontamination..."

Yang again glanced down looking mildly pleased with herself and batted her eyelashes. What she was wearing now wasn't much different from what she usually wore in public.

"You shouldn't knock comfort til you've tried it, princess," she said eyeing the corset. "But I guess it's a good thing that I'm doing laundry the day _after_ tomorrow then. And speaking of comfort, would you like to see what I _wear_ to bed back at home? Or when I'm vacationing in someone _else's_ bed? Or when I don't have prudes for roommates?"

Weiss' face turned various shades of red as the girl played with the hem of her top as well as her shorts, and Blake jokingly turned her head chuckling and knowing full well that despite the beach girl's comfortableness in her own skin and brash attitude to go along with her sense of humor, her pajamas were hardly _indecent_ by most standards but especially due to her bandages. Blake also knew she had lived with her father at her former school and shared a bedroom with her younger sister then as well, and granted what she was wearing likely wouldn't ever be worn by her more bashful roommates, this was also the same peevish heiress who for months hadn't even let her kneecaps and elbows show in front of three girls who she happened to share a room with.

"Have you no shame?" Weiss often accused her of shamelessly flaunting which Yang never bothered denying, but as her other roommates pointed out, it wasn't as though she had to try particularly hard to get attention, if at all. Even in her dark jeans which admittedly were a little snug, and her jacket which admittedly had not been purchased with the intent of ever hiding her eye-catchy low-hanging gold necklaces, she couldn't help but garner attention and enjoy it everywhere she went.

Yang shrugged raising her arms over her head. "Not really, but that doesn't mean a whole lot coming from someone who showers in a one piece bathing suit and has probably never seen herself naked."

Blake covered her mouth to keep from crying out which resulted in a series of loud snorts, and after a moment of watching the outrageous scene even Weiss had to look away hiding a tiny grin. Both silently applauded the blonde's ability to lighten the mood, and a small rush of adrenaline went through their tired bodies even after everything they'd been through together.

A pleased look crossed Yang's face seeing her friends laugh, and let out a breath she might've been holding since arriving back at the dorm.

"So before dinner gets here, what would you like to talk about?"

"Before that," Weiss said once the lack of color in her face returned. "Yang, at this rate Ruby will be be ready for the Vytal Festival before you, and you're going to be back in the hospital growling at anyone who tries to help you."

Yang scratched the back of her neck looking unconcerned. While they all knowingly lied to each other about their injuries looking more severe than they felt on an almost daily basis, during their extended hospital stay she had gone so far as to set her injury report on fire in front of the doctor and her friends without even a second glance. As huntresses in-training, pain and soreness was something they had all grown accustomed to and intimately familiar with, but to them Yang almost seemed to relish in it, especially since returning from the mission.

"I'm doing everything I can, but even my aura can't work miracles."

"Bull," the caped-girl said frankly. "We know exactly how strong you are and we've seen how fast you can heal when you put your mind to it." She made a circle around her face. "But every time your aura recharges just a little you waste it all and set yourself back days if not weeks, maybe even months at the rate you're going."

Weiss set Zwei atop the corgi-shaped pillow she was currently borrowing from her partner, and like Blake stared intently at the yellow bandages that were covering a chest that seemed to have difficulty in rising regularly, and recalled all the times Yang held her sides while laughing at her own jokes, as well as the muttered curses whenever she sneezed or moved too suddenly.

"Alright fine," Yang snapped, raising her voice as well as her posture. "Maybe I'd rather be the one who keeps us from entering the tournament rather than seeing Rubes keep blaming herself for something that isn't her fault! Let's be honest here, at this rate she's not gonna have close to the minimal aura reserves to enter, and even if she stocks up on aura by ignoring the mess her body's in she won't be in any shape to actually fight."

She stared daggers into the smaller girl who quickly bowed up not willing to back down.

"Sounds sweet, and if we're being _honest_ here maybe you just like showing off to the world that not even broken bones, cracked ribs, torn muscles, second degree burns, and a _massively_ bruised ego can slow the great Yang Xiao Long down from getting guys fawning all over her." Her eyes narrowed and her voice darkened. "Or maybe Blake and I were right about this being some sort of sick punishment or atonement for your sister getting hurt."

Across the room, raw knuckles cracked as they were tightened into a fist. "Maybe you should keep your mouth shut before-"

"Before what?" Weiss cried. "You stumble over here and fall on me? I'm surprised we didn't have to send in a search party while you were in the shower."

A wicked grin crossed the girl's face as her eyes dully flickered. "I would've had volunteers lining out the door more than willing to administer CPR, and I'm still more than capable of shutting up a tiny princess with a big mouth."

"Are you sure about either-"

"Stop it both of you," Blake said firmly yet at the same time in a lazy fashion. She knew from the way her partner's jaw was set that something had cut deep, but also that Weiss could also become a _little_ cranky late at night the same way Yang did when she was hungry.

Both girl's shoulders relaxed but while the heiress' face softened, the blonde's seemed to almost crumble staring back.

"Sorry..." she mumbled. "If it makes you feel better, _both_ of you deserve way more volunteers than I do. But out of curiosity, right now would either of you have been in that line to help me?"

She tried to laugh but it came out more like a wheeze, and she was unable to cover what sounded to the pair like uncertainty and perhaps a cry for help.

"Yang," her partner soothed, looking up from her yellow bandages to her misty eyes with her own. "No more using your aura to lift motorcycles over your head and getting guys to pass out from heatstroke. Like it or not you're the only reason we would actually stand a chance in the tournament next month, and because of you we wins fights that we have no business being a part of. If you keep this up, you really are going to wind up in the hospital again, or worse..."

Her tired voice had cracked on every other word and with each time caused Yang's eyes to well up.

"That also means no more flaring your aura just to make us feel better," Weiss added kindly. "Thank you for doing it really, but we'd rather you save it for yourself right now."

"We can't stand seeing you like this, Yang," her partner nearly whimpered. "We honestly can't and neither can your sister. _'When one heart's grieved so are the other three'._ That's not just some motto that the academies teach so we feel closer together, it's the truth. We share our literal souls with each other much less our lives, and more than anyone you're the heart of this team, and whenever _you_ suffer it feels like it's being violently ripped out of us. When you thought Ruby was dead and it felt like your entire life was over, but you weren't the only one who who felt that gaping hole in their chest, and that's _exactly_ how we felt seeing your lifeless body in that crater with your skin charred and blood pouring out when you saved us..."

Yang's eyes fell to the ground unable to stand it any longer. To say she hadn't been feeling well as of late would've been an extreme understatement, but she had hoped that her control and mastery over her aura would be enough to at least disguise that painful fact. Having your aura unlocked came at the cost of wearing your soul on your sleeve for everyone else to see, but for teammates and especially partners it meant sharing a friendship that went deeper than intimacy or anything else that could be put into words. A physical pain was shared when the other parts of their soul were separated too long, as well as a sense of longing for them to be back together. In effect, all selfishness had to be stripped away along with all thoughts of _'self'_ so as to combat an unrelenting darkness that was the very definition of fear and terror.

Already, Weiss was perhaps as close to her little sister in just four months as she herself was after all their heartbreaking wonderful years together, and her own partner wasn't far behind. It had been unsettling at first as it had felt as though she was sharing something invaluable and easily broken with complete strangers, and more than once in the beginning it had brought out an overprotective streak for a little girl who until recently had crawled into bed with her at least twice a week not even bothering to hide tears, and couldn't help having felt a twinge of jealousy sharing something beyond priceless even if it was overshadowed by a sense of peace that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

They each tried to respect what little privacy was left and give each other space as so much of themselves was shared already, but Yang's body was practically the embodiment of her radiant soul which was best described as having been _'kissed by the sun'_. When she was happy it was like feeling an irresistible force of infectious joy from simply being around her, but when in the rare cases she was gloomy it felt as though the sun was hiding behind the clouds and would never come out again. Those times luckily however were as infrequent as her losing her short temper which was often mistaken for her reminding her sister and friends who the _'pack leader'_ was. And despite her many quirks, just hearing her warm laugh caused one's heart to join her no matter how hideously awful the joke or wordplay.

But due to her physical semblance being tied directly to her emotions, her arguably greatest asset was also a double edge sword that caused more than just her aura and its healing factor to feel her suffering. While normally well hidden from her best friends, now without shame she did nothing to conceal how it felt as though her body, soul, and mind were being pulled apart due to their powerful connection.

"Yeah, okay..." she said at last, cradling her arms against her chest as a slight shiver ran through her. Normally her warm aura had a soothing effect like morning sunshine that washed over three other girls who usually needed the sun much more than herself, but right now all she felt was a chill that she was desperately wanted to attribute to the window being open and her lack of clothing.

"We know how you feel," Weiss comforted. "We really do, but Ruby's getting around better and-"

"Better in that she's actually able to walk a little in padded boots without _immediately_ falling to the ground in tears," Yang corrected, staring down at her bare feet and imagining taking scissors to them.

The other girl swallowed and slowly nodded. "Yes, I suppose you could say it that way, and you're probably right that we'll miss the tournament and that she'll blame herself just like _you're_ doing right now. But when that time comes you're not the only who'll be there for her."

"We'll be there, just like we're here for you." The partners' eyes met again but Yang turned away kicking at the carpet.

"Ruby getting hurt isn't your fault and you can't keep going on like this," Blake said kindly, attempting to express all her feelings into words. "How do you expect to protect your sister _and_ us if you can't even protect yourself?"

Yang glanced down at herself this time actually taking in the sorry state her body which despite being on display in front of her friends without any self-consciousness, alone in private with her bloodstained clothes and bandages covering the bathroom floor, she had tearfully gazed at an unfamiliar body in the mirror more self-conscious of herself than she'd ever been at the beaches back home, and she bit her lip as old words came back to haunt her and probe at fresh wounds.

"Okay, okay," she said at last, rubbing her temples. "I'm not promising I won't still use my aura when I feel like it, but I'll try to be less stupid about it..."

"And blaming yourself for Ruby getting hurt?" Weiss inquired.

Yang looked up with something rekindling in her eyes. "When it comes to my baby sister or my family getting hurt, I can hold grudges very easily."

The heiress held her gaze which quickly became as cold as her voice. "I suppose that makes two of us then."

"Three," Blake added quietly. "And the less said about those men in the city the better..."

The girls were silent as the aura around Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud shimmered as if responding to their owner's thoughts and desires, giving them as well as the team's older sister a sense of unity that didn't disturb them in the slightest.

"Speaking of which," Weiss cleared her throat. "Let's talk about what that wretch gathered for Ruby."

Yang slowly nodded. "Alright, where do you wanna start?"

"Let's start with your mom," Blake said, her eyes twinkling. "Yang, why would you burn a picture of your own mother?"

Her partner's eyes shined like her's own before closing. After a moment of hesitation, she reached back into the satchels of her ammo belt and without even looking, retrieved a photo that was effortlessly flung across the room landing on the faunus' bed where she was still hugging her knees to her chest.

"Because ever since I can remember, I've stared at that picture imagining what she was like, and that copy didn't do her justice."

Blake stared at the photo that landed in front of her instantly recognizing it as the one her partner had burned, the only difference being that the colors were sharper meaning the young woman was somehow even more stunning, something she didn't think possible. Carefully, she picked up the image by its sides already condemning the other as a poor imitator, and could tell that great care had been taken in preserving it over the years. She briefly noted the young woman sitting in a position that needlessly drew attention to her half buttoned white dress shirt and her red skirt that was in need of a few inches, but because of its better quality Blake was able to make out the finer details she had previously missed, such as the black feathers in her dark hair possibly being extensions, and what she'd presumed was a photo error appeared to be a white mask angled off to the side of her face.

Something cold pressed against her chest the closer she examined, but she was only able to make out the obscured object from the side, and her gaze just like countless others was naturally drawn to her crimson eyes with their faint pupils and her genuinely warm smile that was somewhat offset by the amorous expression she was giving the camera that was possibly even more suggestive than her clothing which radiated confidence just like someone else she knew.

Once again she held it up to her partners profile and shook her head while letting out an awed breath. The likeness between mother and daughter was incredible, so much so that Blake couldn't help being unnerved as it felt as though she had known the teenage girl in the photo for several years to the point her aura was as familiar as her own, and knowing what became of her caused a hollowness in the faunus' chest, especially when looking at her just as stunning daughter and knowing that her partner and future broken husband had been the one holding the camera.

"Your mom was really beautiful, Yang. And you look just like her."

She smiled and nodded in thanks. "Rubes must've made a copy when I wasn't looking. All she had to do was ask and I could've given her an extra, I've got more than plenty, but you've probably noticed by now that we don't exactly talk about my mom very much. She probably thought I'd be suspicious, and she would've been right..."

A sense of awkwardness filled the room as Yang mindlessly played with her hair, leaving the other girls to fidget and stare at the photo uncomfortably. The older girl's mother wasn't something off limits to talk about when the younger was in the room, but unlike her sister it did make her noticeably uncomfortable, like they were now. Their leader's admiration and sadness for her was always apparent when she was brought up, but so was her self-consciousness of a breathtaking woman who could've never been replaced as either a wife or a mother, even if that mother had been her own.

"I know Rubes chose that photo because she knows it's my favorite. Say what you will about my mom and that _particular_ photo, but she was the most powerful huntress in the world, and when I look at that picture I see the world's most beautiful woman who was loved by everyone almost as much as she loved them, and who wasn't ashamed of being who she was, and died with only one regret..."

Yang swallowed as something painful crossed her face. Stories and her imagination had taken the place of any vague memories she might've had of the woman, but those painted a beautiful picture that not even her photos could compare with. "To me she will always be the absolute best ever, but I know it has to hurt Rubes when she sees pictures like this."

Neither girl knowing what to say glanced back down at the photo in Blake's hand and having stared long enough, she stretched from her bed across the middle of the room and carefully handed it to Weiss whose eyes widened finally able to see the young woman without squinting.

"The two of you could be sisters," she complimented, trying to hide scarlet cheeks. "You even dress like her..."

Yang nodded again but her smile was forced as she was unwilling to let on how much the comment stung. Just one person saying she and her mother looked like sisters was more than had ever said she and her _half-sister_ looked even remotely related. It wasn't uncommon for strangers to think that calling each other _'sis'_ so frequently was simply a formality between close friends as was the custom in Mistral, of which the elder had a slight accent from their father, and even some of their own classmates believed they were stepsisters or perhaps cousins with the younger girl having been raised by the elder's family.

Weiss and Blake's own first impressions of the strikingly different sisters was something neither would admit aloud in fear of hurting either of their best friends, and the faunus kept to herself that she heard the same almost daily behind their backs.

Yang was tall, blonde, muscular yet curvy, and was a knockout by all accounts who both looked and acted the part of having lived on the beach surrounded by captivated and jealous onlookers her entire life, and also wouldn't have looked out of place on the cover of a swimsuit magazine. Her younger sister on the other hand despite being descriptively strong was petite at just above five feet, and had much fairer skin along with dark hair with red highlights that until recently fell in her eyes. And while described as being _'cute'_ , to Ruby it always sounded like the way adults talk about children as if they're not in the room listening, which was further evident whenever her sister smiled like a pleased parent.

It didn't help matters that her classmates regardless of her remarkable skill still viewed her as a child, which was one of her sister's greatest regrets about taking her away from the boys her own age who hardly even shaved yet and weren't quickly becoming men. Perhaps because of this, she endlessly comforted and teased her little sister that she'd be a knockout herself in a couple of years with guys hanging off each arm once she grew into her curves, but Ruby didn't seem to be in a particular hurry or too terribly bothered as she usually kept any and all curves concealed beneath a red cloak and long clothing. All to the elder's chagrin of course who simply didn't want her baby sister to feel like the outsider she truthfully was.

"Thanks..." Yang said filling the awkward silence of her partner staring at her and Weiss' glancing up and down between the photo and herself.

"I'm still a little confused," Blake said, hugging her knees to her chest again. "Why would Ruby take a picture of your mom to an info broker?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, she probably just thought she was doing me a favor. There are things my dad and uncle don't talk about, and I _sometimes_ go looking for answers myself about what happened to her."

"And what exactly _did_ happen to her?" Weiss flinched as the words escaped without them meaning to, causing Yang's face to sour. Just as she began to apologize, the taller girl gave her partner a shameful look.

"Remember awhile back when I told you I'd been looking for answers about what happened to my mom?" Blake nodded. "Well, I wasn't exactly telling the whole truth..." Yang took a deep breath mentally cursing herself, but at the same time knew this should've been done ages ago, and reminded herself of all the times she'd wanted to talk to someone but never could.

She was quiet for some time gathering her thoughts as her friends attentively gazed at her, and when she spoke again it was in a small voice unlike her own.

"I know I shouldn't get used to it, but it's been really nice these past couple weeks not having red eyes." She spoke in such a casual manner that they couldn't help wondering if this wasn't another expert attempt at changing the subject. "Believe me, I don't enjoy walking around mad at the world and I hate the way it makes me act sometimes. And I understand exactly how grating my semblance and all the baggage that comes along with it can be after a while, and thank you for putting up with it."

"Your powers just make life more... _interesting_ ," Weiss said, coming up short after searching through her expansive vocabulary for the word to best describe the blonde's awesome yet terrifying powers.

"And it's not like you can really help it," Blake assured despite her unease. "We know that isn't the real you talking even if what you say is usually the truth, and considering who your teammates are I think it's a miracle you haven't killed us yet."

Weiss nodded but their words seemed to have little effect, only drawing a polite tug on the girl's lips.

"I'm not like you guys. You can all turn your auras and semblances off completely when you want, but mine's like a faucet that's always dripping. I can't describe to you how amazing it feels when I'm firing on all cylinders because there is nothing that I can compare it to. It's like there's wildfire beneath my skin, and I can feel the air around me crackling while the ground beneath my feet crumbles because of how much power is burning its way out of my body." She shivered as just the thought gave her goosebumps. "I _always_ have something burning behind my eyes because I can't really shut my semblance off. Even right now I can feel it, and I'm just lucky my aura recharges faster than it leaks because that hasn't always been the case for everyone in my family..."

Her eyes flickered momentarily and she snapped her fingers causing a spark to travel from her mane into her hand where it was engulfed in flame.

"I get more than just my blonde hair and obsession with sunbathing from my dad. His aura gives me more control over my semblance than my mom could've ever dreamed of having, and I know why she fell in love with him. It's like he was made specifically for her."

She smiled but it quickly fell as she noticed their puzzled expressions. "Do you remember what happened to me after fighting the Paladin, or the Alphas?"

"How could we forget?" Weiss nearly cried, anxiously watching the flame.

Blake nodded equally as nervous and entranced. "If we'd taken half of that beating we wouldn't be here right now. Yang, you do things that _we_ can only dream of."

The blonde watched the pair, her eyes changing red every few seconds. "And what would've happened if I hadn't been able to burn off all of my semblance?" she asked as if to herself. "Sometimes if feels like I'm on autopilot just acting on my training and instincts when I get pushed that far to the edge, and let me tell you, that feeling's incredible. I'm pretty sure I was punch drunk and that the Paladin knocked me out when it sent me through through half a dozen concrete pillars, because I remember all of a sudden wondering why it's arm was missing and why it felt like I was punching cardboard. But to be honest, I was too busy savoring every last second of wildfire coursing through my body to really care. And both of you remember how I had to burn it all off after the fight, otherwise I would've done the same thing I did to the King Taijitu to my baby sister and my two best friends, and I wouldn't have really cared then either..."

Yang's pupils disappeared as her flame began to dwindle.

"My semblance is fueled by hate, anger, bitterness, and taking the kind of punishment that would kill anyone else. When my powers first activated it wasn't pretty and I'm lucky I didn't seriously hurt anybody, and that I had both my uncle and my dad to help me through it and teach me to harness it for something good." She shook her head trying not to recall the first miserable days of having red eyes. "Even though I've got about as much aura as my mom and uncle did when they were my age, if not more, I _thankfully_ inherited my dad's aura and a lot of his powers. It means I've got more control but also that my semblance can't even compare to the sheer strength my uncle's has, so I can't imagine how bad it was for my mom. She wasn't even Ruby's age when one day she activated her semblance and her eyes stayed red. The same thing happened to my uncle but he was older and already had plenty experience helping his sister through it, and his powers aren't as closely linked to his emotions like ours, or have _all_ of the nasty side effects the Branwen semblance gave me and my mom. It's given him plenty though..."

Both girls hung to every grim word intently but only Weiss caught the subtle resentment she seemed to have as she knew it all too well herself. Inherited semblances while incredibly rare weren't completely unheard of, but while her family took pride in being classical practitioners of glyphs as well as cold blooded duelists using their skills _exactly_ as their ancestors had centuries ago, no two souls were exactly alike and neither were semblances and auras. No matter what her father might say. Yang had inherited many wonderful and terrible gifts from her parents just as Weiss had been cursed with her's, but only one of them felt truly unique to the world and the other had their own concerns about what their powers might become someday as a large claymore loomed in the frigid recesses of Weiss' mind.

"You're worried the same thing could happen to you..." the pair whispered, the lights flickering like the other girl's eyes.

Yang didn't seem to be listening but reluctantly nodded after a moment. "Instead of having to wait hours to cool down like she did sometimes, I can pretty much snuff out the brunt of my semblance whenever I want." She squeezed her hand around the fire extinguishing it as proof. "Yeah, it's put me in the hospital a couple of times when I burned too hot or too fast, or didn't have any aura left to burn so I used myself as fuel, but not even the sun will burn forever and hopefully it means neither will I..."

Blake's face paled hearing something grim in her otherwise level voice. "Yang, what are you saying?"

She glanced up, her eyes having turned completely crimson illuminated the now darkened room. "I'm saying that the Branwen semblance doesn't always stop raging when we die violent deaths, sometimes it just ticks us off and then there's hell to pay. What I'm trying to say is that after my mom died, her body got back up..."

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I'm terribly sorry for how long it took to get this chapter out and I hope you'll forgive me. I've had many set backs while writing this chapter that was beginning to near 30,000 words which is why I've decided to split it up. "Chapter 10" should hopefully be posted sometime next week.**

 **As for this chapter, I had a lot of fun with the scenes between Blake and Weiss, and I hope you don't mind the changes I've made to their character motivations. Forgiveness isn't something that comes easily to either of them and I thought it fit Weiss' character to simply wish to be kept in the dark about her friend's past, and that _nothing_ will ever split this team up. I also had a blast with Yang's character as she got to be highlighted in this chapter and the next. I wanted to emphasize that Yang might be a good looking young woman but her beauty comes from having such a beautiful soul and being such an incredibly warm person, and her soul being on display has its drawbacks when she's suffering physically or emotionally. As always I hope I didn't take her jokes or her friends' descriptions of her too far, and I want to remind everyone that I have no interest or plans in ever shipping team RWBY together in this ****narrative or any other. They're as close as sisters which means Yang being who she is and being the big sis (and momma bear) of the group who isn't afraid of being affectionate towards the people she loves. We'll be seeing much more of their sisterly relationship and many more jokes next chapter, as well as finding out the truth about her mother and a certain training partner she had at Signal.**

 **Thank you all for the amazing support these past months and for being so incredibly patient with me. I'm so, so very sorry this story took so long to update and that it's not even a "full" chapter. I've had many sets back along the way of writing this, but this chapter is proof that in my weakness the Lord's strength is made perfect. Thank you so very much for all of the kindness you've shown me, I love writing for you and you make me so very happy. Thank you.**

 **Once again, thank you for being so incredibly supportive and patient with myself and this story. Thank you for all of the followers, favorites, reviews, shout outs, and humble readers. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has blessed me with this story and all of you wonderful readers. God bless)**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Nameless Nevermore

* * *

Yang glanced up, her eyes having turned completely crimson illuminated the now darkened room. "I'm saying that the Branwen semblance doesn't always stop raging when we die violent deaths, sometimes it just ticks us off and then there's hell to pay. What I'm trying to say is that after my mom died, her body got back up..."

Weiss made a choking sound. "That's not-"

"Then she ripped the Alpha that killed her into pieces and left her husband, brother, and best friend in a broken, bloody mess before disappearing."

Blake shook her light head feeling a sense of dread. "Yang, that's-"

"Crazy?" Her pupils returned as did lilac and the room's lights. "That's not the first time it's happened in my family. My mom's in a much better place now than Remnant, but sometimes us Branwens leave behind something with red eyes that's full of rage, hate, and everything ugly about ourselves until it finally runs out of aura."

 _'It's almost like she's describing-'_

As if reading Weiss' mind, Yang stared back at her with eyes flickering one last time. "That's the dirty secret of my family that _no_ _one_ can know about."

She cried out suddenly, lurching forward in her seat as her body convulsed. She gasped for breath as beads of sweat rolled down her face, and her friends quickly moved to the edge their beds as if to pounce but were frozen with lead feet, and could only watch in horror as her words echoed in their minds and agony shot throughout her body from using what was left of her aura reserves and using herself as fuel for her semblance.

Finally, when she was able to lift her head again, a ghostly pale face looked at them with only occasional muscle spasms.

"Yang..." her partner whispered. "Your hand."

Yang gave the badly blistered skin a dismissive glance as it was a mild annoyance compared to the wildfire that had burned its way out of her body weeks prior and the scars it had left behind. She highly doubted she'd have to suffer with it for very long anyway, and instead focused on the disapproving looks she was given that were mixed with worry and fear.

"I said that I'd _try_ to be less stupid," she replied between breaths, wiping the sweat from her sheepish face before dabbing it with her top. "I never made any promises."

She grimaced again as her shoulders, ribs, biceps, chest, and her countless other injuries, some of which she'd almost forgotten about, began to ache and burn again, which she fought away with a painful smile that wasn't reciprocated back.

"What about Ruby?" Weiss murmured. "Does she know any of this?"

Yang shook her head comforted from the obvious concern in the girl's voice for her partner and best friend. "Rubes knows that my mom died in Mistral on a mission with her team, and that part's true, but our dad and uncle don't talk about the mission, ever. I don't even know what their mission was or what kind of Grimm killed my mom, or _could_ kill her to be honest. Dad usually just shuts down and our uncle either leaves or finds the nearest bottle, and unlike usual he's a miserable drunk to be around then. And the only time I ever brought it up to Summer was to remind her that she _wasn't_ my mom..."

A look of self-loathing crossed her face but quickly softened seeing the caring faces of her friends looking back at her.

"Why can't Ruby know?" Blake asked gently.

Yang glanced between the pair with a hard look that was only slightly offset by her moist eyes. "Because I know my baby sister better than anyone and she'd only try to help which she can't. We don't want her anywhere near this for her own good. She already feels weird enough about Dad and Summer hooking up almost immediately after my mom died. It wasn't something either of them planned on happening, it just kinda happened one night...

"My mom was the heart of her team and she left a gaping hole inside all of them when she died." Yang swallowed hearing her partner's tearful voice echo about her own team. "They weren't exactly proud of _how_ it happened, and felt guilty enough feeling like they'd dishonored her and her daughter without everyone else who couldn't understand what they were going through condemning them for it. Those people will never understand that Rubes was and still is the best thing that could've ever happened to us, and under no circumstances does the daughter of Summer Rose need to get involved in Branwen business ever again..."

There was something off about her words and tone but her friends dutifully nodded when a thought occurred to Weiss that felt like a blow to the chest. "Your mom doesn't know about Ruby..." she said breathlessly, earning her a dark look.

"You mean does she know that her husband and best friend slept together and had a kid?" Yang asked bluntly, shaking her head even though it hadn't been a question. "How could she."

"And you're afraid what you mom would-"

"That's my mom!" she cried, an unsteady hand pointing at the photo. "The _thing_ out there is nothing more than the shadow of Raven Branwen, the greatest huntress and most beautiful woman that ever lived, and only behind Summer as far as moms go."

Her hand fell but her voice was firm when she was able to speak again. "If the roles had been reversed, my mom would've adored Ruby and treated her like her own daughter just like Summer did for me, but the _thing_ out there isn't my mom. Only something pure evil could've hated Summer. She had the same kind of soothing effect on my mom's aura that Ruby does for mine, if not stronger. My uncle might've been an almost perfect aura match, and she might've fallen in love with my dad, but neither of them understood her like Summer did. She was a master of aura manipulation to the point she could copy semblances almost perfectly and knew her teammates' souls better than her own, and it tore her to pieces the worst when she died..."

"I'm sorry," Weiss said unable to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry, but what would she do if she found out you have a sister?"

Yang took several deep breaths. "We don't exactly have to worry about her _figuring out_ anything, Weiss. She's nothing but rage, instincts, and a few leftover memories that probably aren't very pleasant. She is nothing more than footprints on a beach and the tide's coming in to wash her away. But if she did find out about my baby sister, there wouldn't be a single huntsman or kingdom on Remnant that could stop her from ripping her apart, and Rubes would never be able to run away far or fast enough..."

She eyed the dejected heiress with a small smile tugging on her lip as if as an apology or to let her know she wasn't upset. "Luckily, Rubes is the spitting image of her mom. She was my mom's absolute best friend, and funny enough was like a big sister to Summer after her grandmother died. When the time came there was no question who would be her maid of honor, and who'd be her partner in crime razing the city during her bachelorette party, and the wedding reception, and the honeymoon. Heh, she actually even caught the bouquet." Yang couldn't help but snorting at the dark irony as well as recall all the wild stories, the kind of which their daughters _probably_ shouldn't have known, much less by heart.

"Summer was my godmother _way_ before she became my stepmother, and when I was born my mom made her promise to take care of me and my dad if anything ever happened to her. She would've been happy that they got together after she died even if they weren't really _together_ , and even more thrilled that they had a baby girl that's the spitting image her best friend. And she would've probably found the actual _means_ hilarious."

Yang's face regained some of its color as she fondly played with her hair. "I think a part of my mom always felt a little guilty for getting in between Summer and my dad. I'm not sure but I think she might've had a crush on him when they were about Ruby's age going to Signal together, and Dad's always _kinda_ had a weakness for girls, sorta like how Mom had a thing for dumb guys with muscles and a tan who lived at the beach and couldn't take their eyes off of her."

"That shockingly sounds vaguely familiar," they said in unison, glaring at their more than just genetically similar daughter with Weiss' eyes slowly drifting toward the photos taped above the blonde's bunk where they noticeably lingered for a moment.

Yang smiled playfully and let herself linger for a moment as well. "I guess it's a good thing I _mostly_ take after my mom then isn't it, Weiss?" she teased in a low sultry voice, expertly mimicking the pose and expression of the photo in Weiss' hand before holding her sides and wiping away tears as the girl's red face looked ready to explode, all the while Blake sat back amused by the pair but also shaking her head at her partner and her bandaged ribs.

Her laughs continued until they sounded more like sobs before savoring another look toward the photos where she laid her head at night, and sighed deeply at the wonderful sight that was regularly rotated out to keep things fresh. "Alright, so I am my momma's baby girl a _hundred and ten percent_ , but you and Rubes are just too easy to tease, and at least she doesn't blush just from the mere mention of _'underwear'_ , _'kissing'_ , and other _marginally_ fun activities. She just giggles like a twelve-year-old until you actually get to the good stuff, then she turns red and covers her ears like you're doing. Now back to what I was saying, when Mom and Dad met it was love at first sight just like when my uncle met-"

She quickly looked up at expectant looking faces, with the heiress' being exceptionally bright, and pretended to clear something from her throat. "Uh, never mind that. Just know that even if she actually did see Ruby, she'd probably think she was Summer. Even we can't help but do a double take sometimes the older she gets, especially Dad and Uncle Qrow."

"Who she left for dead from the sound of it..." Weiss thought aloud.

"Trust me," Yang breathed. "I might be a ditsy blonde sometimes, but unfortunately I've got a pretty good memory of that day. I was really young at the time but I remember what they looked like coming back from the mission, because before Patchwork fell it was the worst day of my life. They were all in hospital beds hooked up to all kinds of machines and barely alive. Summer doing her absolute best to look strong, sat me in her lap and explained as kindly as she could that my mom wasn't ever coming back. I didn't understand what that meant just like Rubes had trouble at first when her mom died, but Summer was there holding me and crying even harder than I was, not because her body was in even worse shape than mine and Ruby's combined, but because a part of her soul had just been ripped out. And if that was all that happened to my baby sister, we should all be very thankful."

Blake glanced at the heiress who like herself seemed to be having trouble breathing properly the more Yang shared with them. "Does anyone else know about this?"

She shrugged. "A few huntsmen close to the family who wouldn't tell a soul. She isn't my mom anymore, but even _if_ all the kingdoms believed us they'd still want her huntress status revoked and she'd be considered as having gone rogue. Guys, this isn't the first time something like this has happened in my family, and both of you know full well that Remnant isn't very kind to traitors, or their families..."

The monochrome pair looked away in opposite sides of the room but nodded as the stories of traitors rested heavily on every huntsman in-training's shoulders, but especially theirs. In a world of bloodthirsty monsters, siding with Remnant's enduring nightmare or going rogue against your kingdom were considered the greatest forms of treason, and their families would forever have a stigma that was not easily forgotten or forgiven.

"If people found out there was something more dangerous than Alphas out there they'd get scared and try to take her out, and they'd make her very angry and a lot of good people would die. Then they'd want to make sure it never happened again, and a lot of good people would die then too..."

Blake balled her hands into tight fists knowing _exactly_ how the kingdoms treated so-called traitors and rogues, many of whom were considered heroes in the territories, but Weiss simply stared down at the young woman's photo looking inquisitive as if she were asking her a question.

"Yang, during the breach you drew hundreds of Grimm from all across the city because of your semblance, and it sounds like yours is nothing compared to your mom's. If that's the case then why haven't-"

"Because she's already dead, Weiss," she replied kindly, her lip twitching. "Grimm might be drawn to her, but she's just an empty shell and a shadow of who she was. Even her aura doesn't feel human anymore."

Blake studied her partner's sorrowful expression and felt something painful pressing on her chest. "You've seen her haven't you?"

Yang looked away but reluctantly nodded. "It was back when my powers first started developing but before I got red eyes and started putting holes in the walls. I wasn't getting along very well with my stepmom, or anyone besides Ruby to be honest, but that was entirely my own fault." She glanced at the red cloak with a look of shame. "If Dad had it his way, I probably still wouldn't know about my mom or the truth about the Branwen semblance, but Uncle Qrow and especially Summer thought it was past time to tell me the truth. It still gives me nightmares but I think deep down I always knew. Dad says some really messed up stuff when he's not all there, and if you can get past the slurring so does my uncle. But when Summer held me in that hospital bed all those years ago, she let me get lost in her aura just like she did whenever I needed a mom, and I could just feel that something was wrong. And I never realized or didn't want to admit back then just how much she loved my mom, and me..."

She paused seemingly to work something out of her throat. "Dad unsurprisingly refused to go and Summer wouldn't even let Ruby come visit us at Signal by herself, so my uncle took me to the western swamps of Mistral far away from even the most remote villages, and I can't tell you how excited I was to finally see her." Yang's eyes drifted toward the photo in Weiss' unsteady hand. "All I've got are pictures that don't do her justice, stories that may or may not be completely true, and vague memories that I'm pretty sure aren't even real, but to me she was supermom and I missed her. We had to keep our distance but I finally got to see my mom in person. She was a just figure standing in a field with Beowolves all staring up at the moon as dawn broke, but even from from a distance I could see dried blood on her chest, and I could feel violence incarnate radiating off of her. After he dealt with the Grimm with his sniper rifle, my uncle was able to get close enough to talk to her, but it was still too dangerous for me even beside him. But I really, _really_ needed to talk to her..."

Her head hung even lower and Blake seeing the guilt on her face swallowed. "You saw her again." It wasn't a question this time.

Once again her partner slowly nodded but began to play with her damp hair as if it were suddenly more important. "After I graduated from Signal I got acceptance letters from all the academies practically begging me to take a tour of their schools, and even though I knew Beacon was my home since before I could crawl, I decided to do them the honors of trying to impress me. I got flown first class to Vacuo, Atlas, and Mistral, and got an all expense paid vacation staying at the finest five star hotels and _fully_ immersing myself with the people and their cultures."

She licked her lips lazily causing the other two to shake their heads at how easily distracted their roommate could be, or at least how changing the subject came so naturally to her. "I had guys lining up to buy me strawberry sunrises and help me with suntan lotion all day at the beach, which by the way Vacuo's have the best _dress_ codes and next time I'm going during spring break and you're all coming with me whether you like it or not."

The girls rolled their eyes but couldn't help hiding smiles and rosy cheeks as everyone knew the reputations for Vacuo's beaches as they made Patch's sound tame, and all eyes naturally gravitated toward the top bunk with Blake craning her neck to see the pictures and rather enthralling stories that went with them.

"Atlas' weren't bad either but they were still thawing out from winter so the _views_ weren't quite as impressive, but luckily the hotel I was staying at had an indoor swimming pool and hot tubs so it wasn't a complete waste of time going to Polaris."

"You're unbelievable," Weiss muttered, "but at least I know how you got your hands on towels monogrammed with my family's name on them."

"Hey, it isn't my fault that after me and the guys working the front desk went for a midnight swim together, while they were on the job mind you, that not thirty minutes after I got out of the tub I _just so happened_ to get free room service for the week, complimentary bath towels and bathrobes, and was upgraded into the penthouse suite where I slept in a magical king sized bed that I was told a certain VIP occasionally sleeps and was personally requested by her to stay _'undefiled'_."

Weiss' eyes widened. "You didn't..." she seethed.

"I ate gallons of ice cream out of priceless antique bowels," she proclaimed loudly. "I ordered feasts fit for royalty from a menu that had bread sticks I couldn't even afford, and yet I sampled everything at least twice and washed it all down with iced strawberry sunrises that I drank out of champagne glasses with cute little umbrellas. I had my baths drawn by gorgeous men in a room with gold faucets, a chandelier, a ten foot fountain, and a tub that we could've all gone swimming in together. Then after the most _comfortable_ nights of sleep of my life in between your thousand count Vacuon cotton bed-sheets, I'd wake up every morning to a full body massage by even more beautiful men who treated _all of this_ with the proper attention and admiration it deserves. And princess, I did absolutely _everything_ you think I did to your getaway and would've done even worse if I'd known we'd be friends in just a few short months."

Blake enjoying the turn in conversation, smirked at Weiss' obvious and rather understandable signs of disgust that came from sharing a bedroom, bathroom, and locker room with Yang for four months. And while Yang grinned triumphantly, her lip fell as the brief albeit _very_ pleasant distraction passed.

"But once I had my fun out of the way and took tours of Shade and Polaris it was Haven's turn, and it was all just an excuse to go to Mistral by myself and not make anyone suspicious. I needed to see my mom one last time before she's gone for good. Her semblance was raging and she still had a lot of aura when she died, but they were fading and my uncle said she didn't have a whole lot of time left. He visits her occasionally to check up on her and make sure she's still calm, and once in awhile can even get her to say a few words but it's usually just nonsense. I don't think he can bring himself to give up on her, and if he hadn't tried an aura transfer after his sister died she would've probably faded before I ever got the chance to see her the first time."

"He did what?!" Weiss cried, a flash of horror crossing her face as well as Blake's.

Yang flinched but raised her eyes to the opposite bunk before lowering them back down. "They might've been the same age but she was my uncle's baby sis, Weiss. I'd try the same thing for Rubes in a heartbeat even if we aren't aura matches. But like you already know it only made things worse, and if it hadn't been for Summer's aura manipulation they would've all died. She was able to soothe her best friend's semblance one last time with her powers, and even though it gave my mom enough aura to last all these years, as long as nobody bothers her it keeps her from hurting anyone. Summer carried some of those scars until the day she died, but besides taking care of her husband and daughter, it was her last gift for her best friend. But at least they're together again, forever. And Rubes and I will see them again one day..."

The monochrome pair glanced at one another almost afraid to breathe before nodding for her to continue but deep down wishing she wouldn't.

"After I was given a tour of Haven and took some time savoring those last couple days, I called home and told Dad I'd found a great beach to get a tan and some nice guys wanting to give me a hand, and that I'd be staying another week."

Blake and Weiss gave her incredulous looks but she merely shrugged, sheepish but unashamed. "It needed to be believable, and Dad usually won't put up much of a fight even when he knows I'm lying. He just doesn't have it in him most days, and while he might not approve of his daughter's hobbies, he knows that I can take care of myself and who I really am, despite my best efforts. He married my mom after all..."

The pair nodded as they knew Yang the _'party girl'_ rather well themselves, and even had to remind her of it occasionally. "How did you find her?" Weiss asked after a moment of the only sound being the corgi snoring beside her.

Yang sighed and tapped her head which resounded with a loud thud. "Like I said, for having such a thick skull I've got a pretty good memory, but I've also got Rubes who'll keep her mouth shut and do anything for chocolate, and is an expert at drawing maps for her ditsy big sister. It didn't take Ruby long after telling her all that I could remember from back when our uncle took me, and she stopped asking questions when I rewarded her with a box of chocolates and shared my vacation plans with her." She chuckled recalling the fond memories of her sister sticking chocolate coated fingers in her ears and her smeared face turning red, but her mood dropped slightly as she knew the worry and pain her little sister had felt when she left because it came close to what she had felt every day they were apart.

"I knew it was stupid and a long shot, and without Qrow it took me days of trudging through mosquito infested marshes, reading the idiot proof map wrong and getting lost, and avoiding Grimm as best I could, but after putting every survival skill I learned from graduation to the test I finally found her again in that same field as if she'd been waiting for me all these years later. I didn't really pay attention to it last time but there was a beautiful lake with crystal clear water, and my mom standing at the shore almost like she was looking at her reflection, or like her daughter was thinking about stripping and taking a much needed bath.

"I must've watched her for the better part of a day. She wasn't breathing, her hair was falling out, her clothes were covered in dried blood, some of it was her's but most of it was probably her teammates', and even though her aura wasn't nearly as strong as I remembered it was just as violent, and I just had to talk to her..."

She paused feeling unease in the room and looked up at her friends. "I had to try, guys. Even if there were just the tiny shreds of the woman in there that might remember holding me in her arms, I had to tell her how I feel. I needed to finally tell her that I love her, that I'm not mad that she left me, and that I understand why she died. I needed to tell her everything about her daughter's life, and that ended up being the worst mistake of my life..."

"Oh God, no..." Weiss murmured, covering her mouth and causing Yang to nod.

"She didn't notice me until I was right behind her," she whispered. "I told her who I was and flared my aura like my uncle always does hoping it might remind her of him or Dad, and maybe it did because she turned around and hissed at me, then started screaming..."

The room suddenly became much colder and chills went down both girl's spines as Yang wiped her pale face.

"I've never been hit that hard in my life, and after she was done beating the living hell out of me, I woke up floating in a red lake to the sound of Beowolves howling."

Her misty eyes found the photo again and both girls followed her gaze to the large katana attached to the skirt being unsheathed, an almost insignificant detail and easy overlook when everything else about the woman including her apparel purposefully caught the viewer's attention. When the pair finally glanced up, Yang was clutching her stomach before moving her hands about her bandaged body, grimacing as if she was remembering something unpleasant the longer she stared at the crimson blade that was only slightly exposed.

"I was literally bathing in my own blood, and I'm pretty sure every Grimm in Mistral sensed our semblances because it seemed like every single one of them came after me. I've never been so angry in my life than I was at that moment, not just at her but myself. I finally had to admit to myself that my mom really did die all those years ago, and that I had just spat on my stepmother and her final gift for her best friend by costing her months if not her last couple years..."

"Yang..." her partner nearly sobbed.

"She's just _Raven_ now," Yang spat bitterly. "My Uncle Qrow says their tribe named them after Nevermores, and it kinda fits. I cried for her to stop calling her everything a daughter would, but she didn't stop butchering me until I finally called her Raven like the way he and my dad say her name and started repeating some of the stuff they say when they're drunk or not all there. Even then I passed out before she quit, and she left me there in a broken, bloody mess for the Grimm just like she did them all those years ago..."

Weiss' gaze fell on the crimson katana that matched the young woman's eyes perfectly, and for the first time thought she saw something malicious about her and didn't find her quite as stunning as she once had, or rivaling that of the blonde's beauty anymore for that matter. Across from her, Blake's own gaze lingered on the red blade for a moment still finding it all too familiar, but her attention was quickly drawn to the white object off to the side of her face, and once again felt something cold press against her chest from within her jacket.

"I was alive, just barely, but that's all my semblance needs. I don't really remember what happened next, I just remember being angry. I must've ran for days, ripping Grimm apart I'd never even heard of without sleeping or stopping to rest. The only clear thought I had the entire time was thinking about who was waiting for me back home. Half the world was inbetween me and my baby sister, which meant the world never stood a chance."

She gave a cocky grin that lifted their spirits for a moment, but only for a moment as it quickly slid off her face.

"That's a lie. I wasn't thinking of anything really. I was too far gone, and to be honest I just got lucky. With all the sudden Grimm activity, the military and huntsmen were practically pouring in to make sure it didn't turn into a kingdom-wide disaster like what happened here. I'd drawn so many Grimm away from the villages that they just followed the breadcrumbs and found me fighting for my life. By the time airships were landing around me, I could barely think straight from exhaustion and blood loss, and my semblance wasn't even kindled at that point. I practically passed out in the arms of the first handsome men I saw, and couldn't even savor them playing doctor or carrying me like a bride in their strong muscular arms. Okay, maybe that's a lie too..."

Yang gave a weak chuckle but it sounded hollow and didn't even seem to bother her injured ribs. "Western Mistral's got enough problems with Grimm without me being there, and it's a miracle I didn't get anyone killed. I lied of course and told the huntsmen I'd been traveling the countryside minding my own business and _'trying to make my decision on which academy to join'_ when the Grimm just started going berserk, and hat without much of a plan I'd decided to just punch my way back home. The worse thing is they treated like a hero and I even got official huntsmen commendations from Haven and Mistral, and everywhere else that were now desperately wanting to recruit me. For every time I was rightfully called reckless and suicidal or yelled at for not thinking before I acted, and for doing what they'd thought I'd done, I was called a true huntress twice as much."

"That's because you _are_ a true huntress," Blake said without hesitation. "What happened wasn't your fault. You went looking for your mom, and anyone else would've done the same."

"And you did save lives," Weiss affirmed. "I was watching the news every day and keeping up with all the inside reports because one of the SDC's shipping routes was forced to halt for a few days, but unlike the rest of my family who were miffed about losing pocket change, I was more interested in hearing how an entire region of Mistral was practically rid of Grimm and how villages that were used to daily attacks went weeks afterward without seeing even a single Beowolf. And while I used to terrified of Father when he'd receive inconvenient news or mild disruptions, I've grown somewhat fond his temper tantrums now."

Her friends grinned but Yang shook her head, but at the same she time didn't seem to have the energy to argue. "I don't know if they pried it out of her or not, I never asked and she never said, but Rubes told Dad and our uncle about the map once it made the news that Grimm were swarming the area. I think that's the real reason why I got help so quickly. They've got a lot of huntsmen who owe them favors. Rubes probably saved my life but when I finally got home she almost looked worse than I did and wouldn't stop blaming herself for sending me into a feeding frenzy, kinda like what we're both doing right now I guess..."

It took a moment to find her voice again as she stared at her bare feet. "Poor Rubes, she had no idea why her family just fell apart on her all of a sudden. Even before I got home they both knew what I'd done. Dad took one look at me and broke down worse than I've seen him in years, which is another reason I haven't told him about his girls being in the hospital, and for the first time in my life I honestly thought my uncle was going to lose control of his semblance. I've never seen him that furious at someone, and he and my dad almost started throwing punches over some of the things he was saying, which I completely deserved."

Yang looked up shaking her hands knowing what they must've been thinking. Already the pair didn't have the greatest opinion of the man they affectionately referred to as their _'drunkle'_ despite she and her sister's best efforts. "But things were good between us next time I saw him, once his semblance cooled off. My uncle and I have always been super close and we had a really, _really_ good talk, and he told me some things a girl like me just needs to hear once in awhile. He understood why I went looking for her because he'd done the same thing, but he still hasn't found a trace of his sister because of me..."

She hid her face under her mane while they watched, occasionally whispering her name in a comforting manner, and when she did speak again her voice was as small as a child's. "And that was the same day they told me about what happened to Amber..."

The pair glanced at one another blinking. "Amber," Blake repeated, familiarizing herself with the name. "Is she the girl Ruby drew a picture of?"

Yang remained silent but eventually gave the slightest of nods.

"Can you tell us about her?" Weiss asked, remembering how quickly the drawing was crumbled up and burned before she even got a good look at it. "Or what exactly happened to her that your sister would draw a picture of her and want help from a shady info broker of all people?"

Once again the larger girl was quiet for some time to the point they began to suspect she was tired of conversing and had said all she was willing to say, or possibly had already dozed off, when she brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"It'd probably be better if I showed you." Yang wiped her face and grimaced as she contorted her body, reaching for her ammo belt atop the desk with a shaky hand.

Visibly flustered, it seemed the naturally clumsy girl was mostly oblivious of her actions as yellow, orange, and red shotgun shells fell to the floor with one or two explosive rounds rolling beneath Weiss' bed. Soon a large pile formed beneath the chair made up of hair brushes, protein bars, perfume bottles, breath mints, lotions, dozens of pens none of which likely worked, a small medkit, bent plastic utensils, fake IDs all with amusing aliases, magazine clippings, expired coupons, Ember Celica 1.0, discarded gum wrappers, and extra tops and bottoms that were neatly folded in tiny ziplock bags that also included a bright yellow swimsuit and what Weiss hoped were undergarments but knew better, as well as various other objects that Yang might find useful on missions, at the beach, or a night out on the town. _Or_ had simply found its way in out of sheer laziness such was the case with last year's Christmas cards and last month's homework assignment that had doodles of faunus-eating corgis covering it.

Finally, her search ended and she held up her scroll for her friends to see, but they were too busy marveling at the ammo belt's scattered contents with dumbfounded expressions. Although their roommate was noticeably more scatterbrained than usual, they couldn't help wondering if she might've been trying to gather her thoughts as even Yang rarely lost or misplaced her scroll. It was normally kept with her more invaluable items like her wallet, keys, and aviator sunglasses, which she tended to only lose once or twice a month at the most.

"You're a slob," Weiss remarked dryly, afraid to move with live ammunition beneath her as she overlooked the clutter with a sour expression finding most it unsavory, especially her so-called _'clothes'_ which in her mind required covering a certain percentage of skin before having the right to even be considered undergarments.

Yang didn't bother denying this, instead she tossed the belt atop the desk knocking over the makeup mirror in the process.

Bones popped and creaked as the disorganized blonde used her unsteady arms and legs to lift herself out of the too-small chair, which she pushed off of for extra momentum. Once she was standing which might've been a miracle all on its own, she stumbled toward her partner's bunk as it was half a step closer and so as not to wake the sleeping corgi. Blake scooted over to give her room but not quite quickly enough as Yang's knee buckled beneath her and she collapsed atop of her. Once they were sitting upright and Yang was done complementing her as well as her comfy bed, she motioned for the other red-faced girl to join them who after a long moment of hesitation, carefully navigated her way around the explosives. She took a seat on the edge of the bed giving ample elbow room before being pulled close so they were both bunched up shoulder to shoulder with the freshly showered blonde.

"There," Yang said, now situated and giving the mattress a healthy bounce. "Looks like I get to be in the middle after all." She grinned wide and wagged her eyebrows which earned her sharp elbows to the ribs.

"Either of you wanna see some pictures from spring break?" she asked, gasping for breath and coughing while the scroll verified her fingerprint and she began typing in long passwords to her folders, causing them to look away both out of both privacy and also because they'd begun sounding out some of the words. "Or maybe my all-expense paid vacation? I've got some great ones from the beach and some _really_ great ones from someone's once private getaway."

"Um, maybe some other time." Blake smiled convincingly.

"In other words never," Weiss huffed, trying in vain to scoot away from the barely clothed girl who had a hand on her cape. "Although personally I think you may have been embellishing your story a bit."

Yang, always one to prove she didn't need to embellish her exciting and sometimes self-incriminating tales, pressed a few buttons on her scroll and physically turned the heiress' head toward the screen where a familiar blonde was holding her scroll toward an ornate mirror while posing half submerged in a bathtub the size of a swimming pool with gold faucets and bubbles that appeared to be in the midst of changing colors even while clinging to her bare form. After taking her time savoring the memory, Yang flicked the screen and Weiss was unable to avert her eyes in time before seeing the girl beside her laying in a king sized bed with comfortable looking sheets _strategically_ placed about her self as clothes, empty dishes, wall hangings, and overturned furniture lay about a disorderly room.

A deep growl escaped from her causing Yang to hold her sides tightly and for Blake to cover her mouth laughing, finding herself highly amused but also begrudgingly impressed by what she saw.

"Did you set it on a timer or did you have _help_ taking that picture?" she asked, with her answer coming in the form of a playful wink and nudge from her partner.

"I hate you," seethed the girl still trying unsuccessfully to escape. "Next time I'm in Atlas, I'm burning the suite as well as my family's century old hotel to the ground."

"He-he, would it make you feel better if I told you that I didn't do anything you haven't done, _princess_." She flashed a not-quite-so innocent smile that was met with contempt but also pinkish cheeks. "Don't forget, I found your favorite low-fat vanilla yogurt in the fridge because everything in the penthouse was perfectly stocked just for you. And since I didn't give them enough time to clear all your clothes out before I moved in, I went ahead and rummaged through some of your things finding all kinds of outfits that I'm sure you've never worn once in your life, and yet I didn't find a single one of your boring nightgowns. And sleeping in that bed was like being wrapped inside a warm cloud..." She gave a heavy sigh that turned into a moan the longer she stared dreamily at her past self.

Weiss tilted her head giving her a cold look with an increasingly brightening face. "D-did it ever occur to you that I m-might have packed them myself? O-or that being alone I might've just worn my pajamas w-without the nightgown? Or that maybe it's none of your business what I wear to bed!?"

Yang bobbed her head in delight of the shrill voice. "As it so happens yes, yes, and no. Which is exactly why I asked a few _innocent_ questions to the laundry attendants. Care to explain yourself, _princess_? Not that you really need to, I completely understand and I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it..."

The heiress opened her mouth but promptly closed it, and calmly muttered something to herself about the sheets indeed being warm and comfortable, but unfortunately needing to be burned for the good of mankind.

Seeing the look of a defeated enemy, Yang leaned in close. "Just so you know, I might've been only telling half the truth, but it's up to you on which _half_ you'd prefer."

She again played with the hem of her top and shorts as if to needlessly emphasize which _halves_ she was talking about. "And thanks for the info, _princess_. Now I know why you bury yourself under the covers at night. I don't blame you, but I'll be sure to tell Rubes not to lay on your bed anymore..."

Weiss' face turned scarlet and her hand drifted toward the rapier at her belt, but while indignation and embarrassment flared within her, with the very same goosebumps and the blonde's non-judgmental carefree attitude, she was finding it difficult to actually find something to be upset about, besides of course being played like one of her priceless violins by someone who couldn't even keep a tune whistling.

"Oh!" Yang cried excitedly, inadvertently knocking the hand away. "Here's me on the balcony getting some sun!"

"If you can call that the sun," Blake muttered, paying more attention to how eager her partner seemed to be for yet another distraction rather than the actual picture, which wasn't anything they hadn't seen before.

"Very classy..." was all Weiss could choke, eyeballing a pyramid of champagne glasses and bowls that appeared to have been licked clean while avoiding the blonde that was spilling out of a swimsuit for all of Atlas' elite to see.

"I'm classy as hell," she said, pointing at herself while using her most refined and snooty accent.

"My point exactly..."

"Oh, here's-"

Blake cleared her throat getting their attention as they both seemed content bickering back and forth with each other. "You were going to tell us about Amber?"

"I'm getting there," Yang sighed, speaking like a child being chided by a parent before she continued flipping through memories with occasional commentary being done by her and Weiss.

"Didn't you say something about neither of you being allowed to have pictures of her?" Blake tried again.

"Yep, my uncle absolutely forbid it," she confirmed, acting as though she didn't understand the problem.

"Alright, so why-"

"Oh!" Yang interrupted. "Here's one from when Ruby and I were kids."

Slightly frustrated with the sudden yet not unusual flip in attitude, Blake followed her partner's gaze and despite her best efforts couldn't help softening. Two young girls below the age of ten sat in front of a mirror with the younger attempting to have her short red highlighted hair put into pigtails by the yellow haired girl whose lap she was sitting in. Wide smiles were permanently etched on their faces but they paled in comparison to their audience's who moved closer together.

"We've always been adorable, especially Rubes." Yang's aura flared out of sheer happiness, feeling just like morning sunlight, but she was soon swallowed up by the two girls with their arms wrapped around her. Weiss, holding back the bitter chill of her aura, still caused her to shiver while Blake's quiet shadow intertwined around her partner giving her a sense of peace as they shared their own happiness for her to enjoy.

With her best friends freely sharing their souls with her, Yang quickly got lost in a whirlwind of emotions that weren't her own and went beyond intimacy with each other as their very selves were on display unable to conceal even their most private feelings from her. Strength coursed throughout her broken body and despite her promise, she flared her aura again but only for a moment. When their souls separated and auras finally settled, both girls gasped for breath while Yang wiped away tears from the purest form of trust they had just given her, to know without any doubt or them being able to hide just how deeply they cared for her and her little sister. They were the family Weiss and Blake had laid awake at night all their lives wishing they had...

She sniffled wiping her eyes which had long since reddened due to rubbing, and began going through pictures at a quicker pace, pausing only when something humorous or interesting caught someone's eye. Both Blake and Weiss felt lightheaded from the sudden use of their already depleted powers, but couldn't help feeling giddy and almost self-conscious of themselves in an oddly pleasant manner after having just shared their literal selves and saying plainly what they never could with words.

Resting their heads against the larger girl and enjoying the strange yet warm sensation, they followed along on memory lane finding many photos familiar as they'd seen large portions of their leader's massive collection which started from an early age and ended with that very morning as she took pictures almost hourly of even their most mundane tasks, but these while similar seemed as though each one had been taken with care and both girls were promptly reminded that they were only a small part of their partners' lives. It made them smile seeing the sisters so incredibly happy with each other, but at the same time it also hurt in many respects as they wished themselves as having always been by their sides for the good and the heartbreaking as that was how it felt.

"We don't have a lot of pictures of our moms," Yang said, a dark echo from earlier that night which caused them to play with her hair and rub her back, mindful of her injuries even if she didn't seem to notice. "I think that's why we take so many, even when we're just lounging around not doing anything."

They nodded as the sometimes annoying habit suddenly made sense, and although it made them soften on their stance of their pictures constantly being taken without their hair being done, they still wished there could be more warning, especially when the next photo shown was from earlier that day of someone trying unsuccessfully to fit into a corset.

"Huh." Weiss tilted her head looking at herself and ignoring being less than three quarters dressed. "Red and black isn't at all a bad look on me, and the corset is rather slimming..."

"Really?" Yang said, trying not to laugh as it hurt too much. "Looks like you're about ready to _pop_ out of the top to me."

The partners chuckled with Yang being moved to tears, but the presently dressed caped-girl merely smirked and batted her eyelashes up at the blonde just as she so often did.

"Still am," she stated rather proudly, adjusting the pinafore slightly.

All three laughed with Yang tousling the wig as a reward for causing her ribs to ache before going back to the photos.

In truth her collection was about as well organized as everything else she owned, if not worse. Unlabeled folders were within mislabeled folders and pictures seemed to be sorted together at random without any rhyme or reason, much to the Atlesian's irritation. But Yang seemingly knew what she was looking for while taking her friends on the scenic route, or more likely in their opinion was simply good at pretending to know what she was doing and stalling for time.

Both girls busily began putting names and faces together of the friends their partners had left behind at Signal, and couldn't help but noticing how they all seemed to be about Yang's age with Ruby out of place among them. Sometimes it was as if she was only there because of _who_ she was with, always beside her older sister who sometimes used her as an armrest or looked down at her fondly. Single moments captured in time that they saw every day.

Yang paused when she came to a photo of a group of boys about her age or perhaps a little older staring hungrily at the camera while laying on a white sandy beach that could've only been southeastern Vacuo, the only region of the kingdom officially deemed _'reasonably safe for tourists'_. She flicked the screen slowly as if to build up anticipation and they soon saw why. The girl they had their arms around was on her stomach lying on a beach towel with her back arched slightly, giving the scroll in her outstretched hand a sultry wink and _generous_ view of herself as several guys, all perfect specimens in every regard, kindly helped apply lotion to _any_ and _all_ exposed skin while giving _extra_ attention to those hard to reach areas.

Not even noticing that the blonde was spilling out of a swimsuit that would've barely left tan lines even if she could've had such a thing, which she liked proving she didn't have without ever mentioning her aura, the well-mannered heiress turned her head but her face brightened the longer she glanced out the corner of her eye at her loyal attendants while Blake simply stared with a dazed look that eventually became one of defeat but also total admiration of her partner.

"I know your rules about me not being allowed to put up pictures that include me stealing the spotlight and spoiling it for the two of you, but I think the _views_ in this one more than make up for it," Yang cooed. "So you coming to Vacuo with me or not?"

"Definitely," they said in unison, hardly breathing and still ogling at the males that'd been masterfully sculpted out of bronze that also wouldn't have to worry too much about tan lines.

Yang snorted triumphantly and passed through several more photos with both girls now fully attentive and Weiss not even bothering to turn her head anymore. Instead, she politely folded her hands in her lap trying to hold onto the last shreds of dignity she still possessed while what appeared to be a volleyball game was played in hundred and ten degree weather with the blonde unsurprisingly coming out victorious, barely even glistening as she clung onto love drunk looking guys that sheened with sweat as if they were her prize and paid the apparent consequences for losing said game.

"You're incredible and I hate you," Blake murmured, the reverence and jealousy apparent in her voice.

Weiss only nodded in agreement as she was unable to think coherently or take her eyes off such a scene. "We're making an amendment to the rules," she said in a hoarse voice, stealthily wiping the drool of her chin. "This one goes up, and if you'll excuse me, I believe I need a drink of water..."

The refined lady didn't even make an attempt to move causing the blonde's heart to flutter as she bobbed side to side.

"Trust me, I've got better, and a cold shower works faster," Yang promised, quickly passing by photos with both girls doing their best to catch every detail that wasn't their roommate and commit them each to memory until she finally stopped on another picture of just she and her sister, this time as young teens building sandcastles on the yellow shores of Patch.

"Awww, this was when I was still sweet, naive, and innocent."

"You were never any of those things," Weiss argued, unable to keep from smiling with her.

Blake chuckled but studying the pre-teen version of her partner closely, she could tell boys weren't quite on her mind yet and wasn't exactly trying to impress anyone in her one piece bathing suit that was somehow even less revealing than her shy sister's as if she was still feeling awkward in a body she wasn't quite used to yet, all of which likely changed by the end of that particular year. It was strange seeing the fearless girl and future knockout with _actual_ pimples and without the unwavering confidence she'd soon have, and found the scene entirely endearing as she could feel Yang cringing beside her seemingly enjoying the self-deprecation, and Weiss especially seemed to take notice of the difference in how comfortable she had become with herself, something that didn't appear at all go unnoticed by the girl in the middle who had the picture angle toward her.

Despite the young teenager's awkwardness however, Blake also saw a maturity in her partner's demeanor that wasn't present in earlier photos of the pair. She had a pleased look on her face almost like a parent watching as her younger sister, whose smile no longer quite matched her eyes, built an incredibly detailed replica of an ancient Atlesian castle.

Yang slowly drew her finger on the screen just as she had before causing the girls to be filled with anticipation while Weiss repeated to herself that there was nothing unusual about three girls sitting on a bed together looking at pictures of dignified, handsome, barely-clothed-and-most gorgeous-men-she-had-ever-seen that were causing her pale skin to feel like it was on fire. She was close to taking the scroll away from her but was brought back to reality when she finally realized Yang's hand actually shaking, and suddenly remembered why they'd been called together and why they were sitting in such close proximity. Without a word they laid their hands atop her's, with Weiss' noticeably sweaty, and swiped the screen for her.

"We're here..."

The image changed and the first thing either girl noticed were the camera holder's chocolate stained fingerprints on the sides, but as with any photo including her, attention was instantly drawn to the tall blonde wearing her huntress gear and giving her trademark crooked grin as she posed like a model against a shower stall in what must've been the girls locker room back at Signal as they didn't recognize the layout as the guys' which their roommate had extensive knowledge of which she liked to share. She'd obviously been the camera's target but almost like an afterthought and barely in frame beside her was a dark complected girl in the process of shyly pulling up a green hood that bore a striking resemblance to a crumpled up drawing that'd been set on fire.

"And this is Amber?" Weiss questioned, receiving a hesitant nod many seconds later.

"Yeah, Rubes was so busy licking her fingers she didn't even realize she was on the screen," Yang whispered, touching a specific fingerprint which caused the image to zoom out a couple inches. "With older scrolls like mine the picture gets cut off on the sides when you view it again, and once I saw the corner of her face I spent hours cleaning the image up and messing with the settings to get it like it is now. Then I spent nearly a week trying to decide what to do with it..."

Blake listened to the hollow voice but was busily studying the girl named Amber, who standing beside her partner in a photo as recent as the past year or so appeared to be only slightly taller than herself but more muscular compared to her own wiry frame. Her chocolate brown hair was simply cut not quite reaching her eyes and falling just short of touching her shoulders, and it was obvious to Blake by her plain appearance that although Amber was pretty, she like herself didn't seem the type who wanted to stand out in a crowd, but then again standing beside Yang Xiao Long it wasn't exactly a fair comparison or even remotely a competition.

Next she noted the collapsible staff just poking out from behind her green cloak which was reminiscent of her leader's except much shorter stopping just short of her knees almost like a dueling cape, but given how it was only draped over her shoulders it likely wasn't worn for actual combat.

The last thing she caught should've been more obvious, but Amber's bright brown eyes had the same peculiar orange radiance as Ruby's drawing, and she began to realize how the lack of detail of her figure must've been purposeful. Her leader could create almost lifelike drawings and paintings when she put her mind to it or didn't let herself get distracted, and Blake thought back to the sisters' uncle forbidding them of photos such as this and how they'd both defied him in their own characteristic ways. The elder not listening and the younger creatively finding a loophole.

"Ruby did a really fantastic job," Weiss praised, though in truth had barely gotten a glimpse of her partner's artistry before it had been crumpled.

Yang nodded her head as doodles and stick figures were about the extent of her _abilities_ , or lack thereof, and Weiss herself despite having the skill to recreate the majestic snowy mountains of her kingdom on canvas, had very little imagination and creativity for such things, and being the very definition of a perfectionist she had the tendency to set her _'mistakes'_ on fire before they could be seen.

"Especially her eyes..." Blake murmured, causing her partner's hand to tighten into a fist.

This subtle movement didn't at all go unnoticed by her sharp eyes, but she still couldn't help thinking back to the drawing. While Blake did have some artistic talent it was mostly applied in removing the dark thoughts that so often plagued her mind and were mostly abstract with precious few details as if she were drawing shadows. Ruby on the other hand had true talent for detail and something about Amber's eyes unsettled her but couldn't find a logical reason why.

Practically everyone's eyes glowed when using their auras or semblances, and this shouldn't have even caught her curiosity because of how normal it was for a young huntress in-training being unable to shut it off on cue, but nothing about this situation felt _'normal'_ and it appeared her partner sensed her unease.

"There's a reason I don't let you, Rubes, or anyone else mess with my scroll..." Yang admitted, sounding as though she was having an internal struggle within herself and losing.

"Besides there being countless immoralities that would cause any decent person to go blind?" Weiss asked, attempting at least in the Blake's eyes to get her partner distracted again.

The blonde gave her a hard look that let her know she wasn't joking around this time. "If that's what it takes to keep people away from my scroll then fine. Call it _'Yang Xiao Long's pleasure and relaxation fun time security system'_ that's sure to keep all dads, uncles, nosy little sisters, friends, teachers, and anyone else who doesn't want to be scarred for life from going through my stuff. Even if someone _did_ figure out my passwords, which I'd seriously want to see their faces when they did, they've got to go through a _whole_ lot of so-called _'immorality'_ that I don't mind sharing just to find the things I _don't_ seeing. My family keeps a lot of secrets, and this picture alone is buried deep in folders that'd make our little princess faint from heatstroke and would take days or weeks for anyone else but me to find. And just like I've been showing you, sometimes you have to press a gorgeous photo or delicious video in just the _right_ places to open the right folder..."

Any humor they might've heard in her voice was quickly quelled as she stared each of them in the eyes for what felt like an eternity reading their uncomfortable expressions before nodding as if agreeing to something important. "There's a reason why Rubes and I aren't allowed to carry pictures of Amber, and if my uncle knew about this he'd be furious."

"And who exactly is she?" Weiss asked in a high-pitched voice, her face having already brightened again as she couldn't help imagining events and participants even greater than those of at the beach, and also because she just now realized she hadn't even noticed Yang touching the photos from her vacation in sometimes oddly _specific_ places for the next to appear.

"It looks like the two of you were close," Blake noted, pointing out the girl's shoulder guard and vambraces that resembled Ember Celica's gold plating.

Yang followed her finger seeing it as almost accusatory. "Now don't get jealous, Blakey. Just because we were in a shower stall _together_ doesn't mean anything." She gave her a playful nudge but her heart didn't seem fully into it. "Amber was my training partner back at Signal, and Ruby made those for her like she made mine."

Blake returned the nudge with an elbow for the insinuation, and rolled her eyes at what she had to put up with on a daily basis.

"Our moms went _way_ back and I can't remember a time we weren't friends. After I breezed through my intermediate combat courses, my uncle paired us together for private lessons so we didn't accidentally killing anyone while our powers were still developing. He also wanted to keep a close eye because _one_ of us couldn't handle the other's aura and was always getting burned alive in practice."

"I know how that feels," Weiss grumbled, having little doubt she could send them both to the hospital even now.

"No offense, Weiss, but no you don't. I'm being literal and I'm not talking about her."

In unison the pair glanced up speechless and almost unable to comprehend her words despite the sincerity written on her face. They only knew of only one person that _might_ be able to defeat team RWBY's juggernaut in a fair fight, but in their hearts they knew who was the real _'invincible girl'_.

"Which school did she get accepted to?" Weiss flinched as the question had been reflexive despite having long since guessed the truth. "I mean-"

"Amber wasn't going to Signal because she wanted to be a huntress," Yang replied gently. "A few years ago she was left on her own so she came and lived at the school like me, Dad, and Rubes, and other kids or adults who need a place to stay. Most of the other kids going there didn't even know her name, or that she even existed to be honest. All she wanted was to learn how to control her powers and live a quiet life far away from the rest of the world."

"Was she really _that_ strong?" For Blake it almost sounded ludicrous to think of her partner being outmatched by anyone her own age, or outmatched in general for that matter.

Yang took a deep breath holding tight to her bandaged ribs before giving a stiff nod. "Imagine waking up one night with unbelievable powers and an almost endless supply of aura. Now imagine that happening to a sweet little girl who just lost her mother, and later the only family she had left in a Grimm attack, and basically forced to become something that she just wasn't. It's a miracle she didn't kill anyone the first time her powers got out of control."

"I can't imagine..." Weiss murmured, staring down at the photo.

Yang blinked back tears as she didn't have to try very hard, or at all frankly. She had Summer holding her on the _first_ worst day of her life when she was told her mother was never coming back, and on the _second_ did the same for her baby sister after the horrible news had been broken to her by a grief stricken widow and a non-functioning alcoholic. And though both of her own experiences seemed so incredibly cruel and unfair, she couldn't imagine waking in the middle of the night and realizing before you even sat up that your mother had just been murdered, especially when you knew who was supposed to have been protecting her had long since abandoned their duty to look after someone else...

"Yang?" Blake asked, bringing her out of her trance by carefully rubbing her shoulder.

She wiped her face forcing herself to stay upbeat, a practice that had become habit by now. "The only reason I could even practice with Amber at all is because it's pretty tough to burn me alive." As if to prove her words, a small flame jumped from her damp mane into her palm where it began to dance and blister her already discolored skin. "But not impossible..."

Without hesitation, Blake took the girl's hand into her own smothering the flame between them, gritting her teeth as it bit her flesh. It wasn't entirely unpleasant as she had long since grown used to her partner's fiery aura, but it was much like grabbing a hot stove and quickly began using her aura to heal what little of the larger hand she could without being an aura match. After several long seconds of giving each other reassuring squeezes seemingly not wanting to let go, they reluctantly separated and Weiss gracefully brushed her fingertips across their bright skin causing frost to appear and numb their discomfort.

Yang stared at her hand for a moment before giving her friends looks of gratitude but also letting them know their efforts had been unnecessary and also a complete waste of their already exhausted powers, which they refuted by flaring their auras and showing her exactly how much more she mattered to them.

*sniff*

"The burns I got from my semblance can't even compare to the ones from our first training sessions," she said after taking a moment to compose herself again. "If you think I'm cocky now you should've seen me back then. I thought I was really _hot_ stuff and the toughest girl in entire the world, but all I remember is Amber unleashing her aura and something hitting me in the back of the head. I woke up to Amber balling her eyes out just like my dad while he and my uncle hovered over giving me massive aura transfers. They told me that I'd been screaming my head off and they'd mercifully knocked me out because I'd just had my entire body burned to a crisp and they didn't want me conscious to feel it, or see see what was left of my skin for that matter. It wasn't very pretty. That was my favorite vest and my last pair of clean underwear, and I almost skipped letting guys buy me some well deserved drinks that night. _Almost_..."

Both Blake and Weiss gave the smirking girl expressions that ranged from comforting and sympathetic to extreme horror and fear, and couldn't help brushing up against the cool soft skin that should've been running a fever.

"And then like an idiot I'd get up for round two and feel like hell for the next couple days from all the aura transfers and getting myself barbecued. But that's what helped make me who I am today, and by the time we graduated I was standing toe to toe with powers you can't even imagine, and sometimes I'd even win."

She let a cocky grin rise of her lip but didn't do a very good job of letting it linger.

"That's only stretching the truth a little since we usually didn't do every much actual combat. I mean don't get me wrong, Amber was good, like _really_ good. She learned to twirl a stick just like Rubes from our uncle, but she didn't want to be a huntress and I graduated top of my class for a reason, and if you give my semblance enough time I'll burn hotter than the sun. And I'm pretty good at bringing everything they taught me together if you hadn't noticed."

"As a matter of fact we have..." Weiss muttered, distracted by her comfortable knee high black boot with red frills, which she kicked in the air as Blake's bed rose higher than her own. "But what does this have to do with Ruby taking a hand drawn picture of her to a scummy info broker?"

"That would be my baby sister _also_ being an idiot and not listening our combat instructor." Sadness as well as a combination of disappointment and anger was clear in her voice, but who towards neither was too sure. "That being said, Rubes could've gone back months ago if she wanted and a lot's changed since I saw her on the bad side of town. She got accepted into Beacon with her awesome big sis for one thing, but more importantly she met the two of you."

Yang rocked her shoulders against them in a playful manner which they returned, and after swaying for several long pleasant moments Weiss spoke up. "Yang, can you tell us why Ruby's looking for Amber? Obviously something happened to her that you're avoiding."

She stopped mid-motion and her eyes fell to the girl whose very image attempted to hide her face.

"But if you don't want to talk about it-" Blake began before being interrupted.

"I don't know the full story. All I know is that she was walking through Forever Fall when she was attacked."

"Grimm..." Weiss lowered her gaze having heard tales like this far too often but Yang shook her head.

"No, not Grimm. A man and two women wearing Grimm masks. Leviathans to be specific..."

Beside her, Yang felt her partner flinch and wrapped a comforting arm around her. "This would've been shortly _after_ you left the White Fang, Blake. And my uncle isn't even sure they were actual faunus. Lots of other psychos wear Grimm masks too. I mean not that you were ever… Never mind. You will not blame yourself for something like this when I'm the one who should've been with her."

Blake glanced up, her eyes puffy and face wrapped with guilt while Weiss continued studying her feet with a cold expression, preoccupied by something her own partner had said about a possibly human woman in a Beowolf mask.

"If I hadn't gone looking for my mom, I would've been by her side and they would've had to deal with Amber and me, which I'd wish them the best of luck. One of the reasons Rubes is kept in the dark is because she'd get in the way of a LOT of very bad people that would want Amber dead if they ever found out about her, which is exactly what those people tried to do. If it wasn't for my uncle she wouldn't be here right now, instead she's only in a coma."

"E-excuse me?" Weiss tilted her head up.

"Rubes doesn't know about any of this, and she isn't going to." The absolute mother-like authority in Yang's voice returned letting her threat be known. "All she knows is that Amber went on an assignment for our uncle, never came back and is missing, which isn't a lie because even I don't know where he took her to keep her safe. He wants us as far away from this as possible and Rubes knows better than to start digging things up..."

When she noticed the unnerved expressions she was being given Yang cleared her throat. "I know it's cruel, believe me. I know _exactly_ how cruel it can be to be kept in the dark about the people you love, but in our family it's a lot better than knowing the truth. I've had to learn that the hard way but after all the hell Ruby's been through, and because of her mom, we don't want her to ever get hurt that way ever again, and if that means being cruel and keeping her in the dark about family business that doesn't concern her to protect Summer's daughter then so be it. If I lose my Ruby again I lose my dad and uncle for the last time, and I'm willing to let this go if it means keeping her safe..."

The room was quiet except for sniffles and heavy breathing, all of which they were acutely aware of.

"You'll always have us," Blake promised, holding onto her partner.

"Always," Weiss reiterated, bringing herself closer before lifting her face. "Please don't take this the wrong way, Yang, but you're not the type of person who just _'lets things go'_. It's because of nights like this that I know when someone hurts your family there's always going to be hell to pay. So there must be a reason you aren't looking for answers like your sister. Or are you doing just that?"

Yang ran her hand through the girl's wig, playing with it by habit while the girl rested her head on her shoulder. "Alright, maybe I've checked into a _couple_ of dead end leads and stayed in touch with my uncle about some of the things going on in Vale, but before leaving he made me swear that my only priority would be keeping Ruby safe and watching out for her, and he promised that he'd take care of Amber and the people that attacked her. And if that man said he was going to put the moon back together in time for Christmas then that's what's going to happen. Amber was one of his students and her mom was really close to his team, and he'll make those sorry SOBs wish they'd never been born. He's already promised that if there's anything left of them it'll be my turn, but I know sooner or later he'll need my help with _something_."

 _'Then we'll be able to wake her up again...'_

A dark look crossed her face but it quickly passed and she played it off as her ribs aching again. "We're not making it up when we say he's the greatest huntsman alive, but if Rubes knew any of this she'd want to help just like she'd want to help with my mom, and she's already starting to ask questions she really, _really_ doesn't want the answers to."

All three fell silent, quietly staring at the girl and the green cloak that suddenly had an unsettling feel about her.

"It looks and sounds like she was really close to the both of you," Weiss said, keeping her voice low. "And let me tell you from experience that Amber couldn't have had better friends."

"Thanks." She smiled warmly bringing her arms around them so her scroll sat in her lap. "Amber avoided people as best she could and I was her only real friend at Signal, but I guess I could say the same about Rubes."

Blake pulled herself back slightly as something about her melancholy words didn't sound right. "Yang, are you saying the two of them _weren't_ friends?"

Her partner was about to shake her head but caught herself and brushed her hair anxiously. "Not _exactly_ but that had more to do with Summer..."

"She might be a dolt but even I've gotten _somewhat_ used to her," Weiss snorted. "How could anyone possibly not like her or your stepmom and you still be your friend?"

"Because I didn't always like my stepmom either, Weiss." The heiress' eyes widened in surprise while Blake's looked away as it still hurt to hear. "Summer took my baby sister away from me right after I thought we were going to be a family again, and Amber had her reasons, some of them were pretty good actually. She doesn't hate Ruby in the slightest and they _are_ friends, but it's..." She trailed off looking for the word while they noticed she spoke very deliberately about Amber in present tense. "It's just complicated alright. She looks at Ruby and sometimes all she can see is Summer, and she's reminded of how she lost her mom and the day Patchwork fell..."

Weiss felt a tug on her partner's cape and realized Yang was running her hands through it, and she did her best to hide her sudden unease. "You said Amber lost her family," she murmured. "But why would she blame-"

"How would you feel if after you lost your mom, you just lost what little family you had left to a pack of Beowolves and there just so happened to be a retired huntress there who might've been able to save them, but the only survivor ended up being her daughter?" Yang asked softly. "I didn't know it at the time but there was serious talk about revoking Summer's huntress status completely because she'd put her daughter's life before anyone else's. You know just as well as I do that's against everything the huntsmen stand for, and that I'd do the exact same thing in a heartbeat. But how do you think that makes Amber feel? Or Rubes for that matter? She's the only survivor of a massacre when her mom might've been able to save them and a lot of other people if she'd just let her die instead. Amber forgave Summer a long time ago, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt..."

Both girls lowered their heads with Blake scooting back over to wipe her partner's cheek. It was torment seeing her best friend cry when she was by far the strongest person she had ever met, and she wondered if the emotional toll they were putting her through was simply too much when it was obvious how her current state was affecting her body, soul, and spirit. With the way she was patched up it was almost like she was in the process of splitting apart.

"Yang," she whispered, loathing herself for what she was about to ask. "Please don't be mad and I'm sorry for asking this, but how much does Ruby remember about Patchwork falling? We've heard her nightmares and-"

"-they're horrible," Weiss finished, fighting back tears thinking back to the hospital record. "And what happened to her mom… sometimes it sounds like she _saw_ it happen…"

Yang was quiet for several minutes to the point both girls believed she was ignoring the question before she finally found her words again. "Trust me, they've gotten a lot better over the years. Rubes buried a lot of that stuff deep and it's going to stay that way for as long as it needs to." Her voice was weak but the commandment was clear.

"It wasn't that long ago she couldn't talk about it at all without shutting down just like Dad does. Weiss, the night in the lost city was the first time she's ever talked about it with anyone besides me. Uncle Qrow was the one who found Summer in the garden, and later when he was good and drunk he told me what my baby sister went through and what she was like when he found her hiding under the bed. And I thank God everyday I still have her and that she's slowly getting better. So please, let Rubes' nightmare be stay just that, nightmares. She buried it for a good reason and before tonight she's never asked about Patchwork, because deep down she knows nothing good can come from it..."

Weiss' heart quickened as she began playing with the cross pendants fastened to her collar, thinking only about her best friend and flared her aura for Yang to feel. "I won't pretend to even begin to understand the hell Ruby went through or what goes on in her head. She's smarter than anyone gives her credit for and is proof that honest to God good people exist on Remnant, but sometimes I think she's too smart for her own good and is too innocent to become a huntress. Your sister's the most incredible person I've ever met, but I'm scared one day being around so much evil is going to tear her apart. We understand why your family works so hard to protect her because we feel the same way. Nothing you've said ever leaves this room, but could you tell us what makes knowing Amber so dangerous?"

Yang sniffled as the girl's overwhelming regard for her sister washed over her, and when the waves of cool aura finally settled she couldn't help her heart skipping from hearing her uncle's voice. She was sitting in between the youngest daughter of Remnant's most ruthless family and a former faunus of the White Fang. Names that were at the top of his search...

"Have either of you heard of an old fairy tale called _'The Four Maidens'_?" she asked cryptically.

The pair glanced at one another looking for assistance but shook their heads.

"Father considered fairy tales childish even when I was a child," Weiss said evenly. "He ordered the servants not to fill his daughters' heads with nonsense, and if it hadn't been for my grandparents on occasion and a particularly kind but _very_ foolish butler, I wouldn't even know about _'The Girl in the Tower'_ or _'The Shallow Sea'_."

Blake listened to the sound of the girl's rueful voice and nodded. "There weren't exactly many kids books in Menagerie. Most of our stories tend to revolve around the first two faunus crusades, and I've never exactly cared much for fairy tales or happily ever afters."

"Then you'd have liked this one," Yang muttered bitterly. "Everyone dies at the end, including the guardians sworn to protect the maidens with their lives..."

 _'Guardians?'_

Before either girl could ask the question at the tip of their tongues, Yang shifted her position and coughed. "If you haven't heard it before then don't worry about it, actually just forget I said anything. I'm a little punch drunk and besides my _'extra special strawberry juice'_ I've got an empty stomach. It's just a dumb fairy tale anyway with enough girls getting killed or dismembered you can make a drinking game out of it, which I have actually. After a dozen shots my uncle used to call me his little _'anti-maiden'_ while I pried test answers out of him. You're better off not knowing about Amber, and believe me when I tell you that you'll sleep better too."

Yang abruptly closed her scroll and stuffed it in her waistband startling the pair, and before they could raise objections she bounced on the bed for momentum and used her partner's shoulder and Weiss' head to push off of and steady herself. Bones popped and she creaked with every awkward step. She could barely raise her feet as she shuffled through her ammo belt's spilled contents, and watching from behind her friends could only watch with gaping mouths as she hopped on the desk in favor of sitting in the cramped chair again. Kicking her long legs out, she studied the mess around her but her cloudy eyes seemed to be seeing something that wasn't there.

Feeling their eyes on her, Yang raised her head and met them with a wink. "Sorry, but as comfy as your bed is, Blake, I'm not really in the mood to be in the middle anymore. You two were making me feel a little underdressed and _overdressed_ at the same time, but don't let that stop the two of you from carrying on..."

Letting out a long breath that more resembled a growl, Weiss communicated all her annoyance and frustration with her unrelenting antics all at once, but while she used the legs of the overhanging bunk to gingerly get to her feet, Blake was studying the girl across the room seeing how her emotional exhaustion far outweighed her physical, and that while something had clearly been lifted from her partner's shoulders and their souls felt more inseparable than ever before, there was still a barrier between them that she simply couldn't leave standing any longer.

Once Weiss was upright again with her bones echoing that of Yang's, an outstretched hand tugged at her red-frilled sleeve.

"Weiss, could I see the photo again?"

Startled, she followed where Blake was pointing and a look of surprise flashed across her face having completely forgotten she was still holding onto the young woman's image, and after taking a final look passed it over, careful not to leave any fingerprints before settling herself beside the sleeping corgi who didn't seem to have noticed her absence.

"Thanks." Blake stared at the large crimson curved blade that was attached to the skirt through some means she didn't care to know as there wasn't much to keep secret, before narrowing her eyes at the familiar object that was mostly obscured by her dark mane and angled off to the side of her face.

Absently digging inside her jacket, she retrieved a white mask with red markings over the eye slits along with ears and fangs resembling that of a large predatory feline, and held the two up not even needing to compare them for herself.

"Yang?" she asked, glancing up with a blank face at partner. "Why is your mom wearing a Grimm mask?"

Weiss made a small, frightened squeak across from her but the other girl's only surprise seemed to come from her partner taking this long to speak up.

"She wasn't a faunus if that's what you're asking. She and my uncle were born in Menagerie, where their tribe just happened to wear Nevermore masks..."

" _Just happened_?" Blake's voice shook. "I was born there too, Yang. My kind were wearing Grimm masks long before the first faunus crusades back when we actually thought Remnant's nightmares could mean our salvation. Cults of Grimm spawned everywhere and some of my people actually learned how to harness their powers for-"

"Not my mom!" Yang shouted, her fists tightening as she moved to the edge of the desk.

Blake swallowed, calming her voice in an attempt to defuse the situation. It seemed waiting until her partner was on the other side of the room out of striking distance had been a wise idea, at least for now.

"We call them Doppelgangers..." she whispered. "Or sometimes Skin Walkers, and there are some that think they're where the legends of Mimics came from, but I guess the four of us know better..."

"Get to the point."

"In Menagerie," she said quickly, "my people have to bury our dead deep. There's evil out there called a Geist. You've both read about them but I've seen one for myself, and I still have nightmares. They can possess more than just rocks or trees when they're hunting for their next meal. They can possess the dead too and even mimic the person's voice. But when they latch onto a fresh host they do can do more than that. They can feed off what's left of their aura for days, weeks, or even years if their host was powerful enough..."

Yang's eyes flickered red but her partner continued as though she didn't notice the small room's temperature rising despite Weiss' subtle efforts to cool it.

"The faunus weren't just banished to the territories because we were constantly fighting the kingdoms. Unfortunately some of us and even some humans had good reason for being banished. They started worshiping Grimm and found ways to let Geists possess the living. They'd don Grimm masks like mine signifying which tribe they were a part of just like the huntsmen did with their emblems. Some with strong enough auras could fight off the malevolence inside of them for years and be one man armies against the kingdoms and draw hoards of Grimm straight to them without fear of ever being attacked, and when they finally fell or lost control of the monster inside them, then the huntsmen still had an Alpha capable of leveling entire villages to fight. Yang, if your mom and uncle are from Menagerie that means your ancestors were probably banished there just like mine were, and the tribes that still wear Grimm masks-" Her words caught on her throat as the air became increasingly thick and hostile, but she had a sense that the worst was being withheld behind crimson.

"Not. My. Mom," Yang said between her teeth. "I already told you about the Branwen semblance, or do you think I might be Grimm possessed too? Maybe I made a mistake sharing my mom and what I've been through with you. I thought _you_ of all people would understand..."

Blake lowered her shameful gaze to the young woman with remarkable eyes and an unforgettable face matching that of the girl across the room, and whose aura like her daughter's could become violence incarnate when she wished and draw the smallest Nevermores just as easily as giant Deathstalkers straight to her.

"My mom kept that mask to remind her of where she came from, but just like you that's _all_ she kept. I don't particularly like some of the looks I get when my eyes start glowing red but she had it even worse, and only wore it on missions with her team. And I know why she wears it now because I'm just as vain as she was. If I were dead I wouldn't want anyone seeing my face either. My hair falling out...my body...everything I was...gone..."

She covered her mouth and looked away, tears streaming down her face. Neither Blake nor Weiss could look away as all at once they had a new appreciation for the trust they'd been given and realized just how difficult it must've been for her to walk out of the bathroom as she was now. _Vulnerable_ was the first word that came to Weiss' mind, but they felt inherently wrong being used in the same sentence as the dauntless girl who didn't bat an eye in the face of monsters or the attention of captivated onlookers, and while in the hospital had doted on her and cared for her broken arm even when she could barely lift her own.

"Yang?" Blake asked softly, cursing herself inwardly. "Have you seen her here in Vale?"

Through the mist her partner's eyes shined like the woman's in the photo. "I thought I caught a glimpse of her once or twice, but yeah I saw her. I was going through what Weiss likes to call a _'blood rage'_ and was a little too preoccupied worrying about Rubes to go out for drinks mother and daughter style. I like to think she followed me and some part of her still remembers her daughter, but..."

As she trailed off many things raced through the faunus' mind, none of them very pleasant. She recalled how before their mission, Ozpin had explained that the Grimm population around Vale was quietly getting out of control in the passing months, as well as what her partner had said about the woman named Raven being ignored by Grimm, an occurrence not too unusual for her kind but especially while wearing their faces.

"I want you to tell me the truth, Yang, and I promise I'll believe you and never bring this up ever again. But did you see her during the breach?"

Her best friend remained silent, only glaring at her with the lights occasionally flickering.

"Yang, please..."

"No, I did not see my mom _during_ the breach..." Her voice dripped with venom but once her eyes made it clear that the conversation was over, they softened and her aura filled the room with something that caused all hearts in the room to flutter.

"Then I'm sorry for asking," Blake said, glancing down at the photo one last time. "And I'm sorry." ' _But I think you're willingly believing a lie.'_ "And I understand."

Yang slid off the desk causing both girls to immediately tense up despite the sudden change in atmosphere. If she sensed her partner's mistrust she didn't acknowledge it, and wiping away a mixture of sweat and tears she confidently stepped over the spilled contents of her ammo belt. But just as a confident grin began to spread, her knee buckled again and she fell forward head first. Without hesitation, red and black darted forward from either side of the room catching her and were immediately brought into a tight embrace where they stood for several moments before any of them could speak.

"You did that on purpose didn't you," said a muffled voice, it didn't appear to be a question.

"Maybe," Yang answered, pulling Weiss closer so she was talking into a mess of highlighted hair. "But I don't hear you complaining."

"That's because she can't breath," Blake replied, looking at her partner from the side and grinning at the caped-girl whose face was currently buried in yellow bandages. "And I get the feeling you falling on me earlier wasn't an accident either..."

Yang didn't answer, only hummed a soft tune that she couldn't keep while letting her warm aura overwhelm their senses. Love, pure and unwavering with nothing to hide. Words that never needed to be said could never have matched the feelings she was sharing that made them feel as though they were basking in morning sunlight. But this was Yang Xiao Long who unlike them wasn't afraid of words or ever shied away from affection.

"I love you, the both of you, like I love my baby sister. She is the best thing to ever happen to me, and the two of you are right with her. If I really am the heart of this team then I want you know that I couldn't have asked for anyone better to share it with, and don't ever forget that it belongs to the both of you."

Lost in someone else's radiant soul, they tried flaring their auras but her's swallowed them up drowning all sense of their selves. _'I love you'_ had been foreign words before coming to Beacon, having never graced their lips or even blessed their ears back when they still believed those words didn't matter. Now those same beautiful, exhilarating words were being said in their ears by someone who was not only telling them the truth, but whose aura also let them know just deeply the heart of team RWBY loved them.

Reluctant to let each other go but necessary so that the shorter girl didn't suffocate, Yang kept a hand around the both of them keeping herself steady and perhaps so she could pull them back without warning.

"Wow..." Was all either of them could muster, just as out of breath as her but feeling more alive than ever.

"Yeah..." Yang flashed a smile that was mirrored back at her as the world darkened and she collapsed again.

"Easy girl," Blake laughed, already having her by the shoulder while a lightheaded Weiss took the other. "There you go being stupid again."

"Still don't hear either of you complaining, Blakey," she said breathlessly, bobbing her head against theirs in turn. "Hmm, thank you guys for everything you did for me and Rubes tonight, and for listening to everything I had to say. I've never told anyone about my mom before..."

A knot formed in the chest of the faunus and perhaps sensing it her partner shifted her head so it rested against her's.

"I know I didn't make a mistake sharing anything with you." She grabbed her partner's hand and together looked down at the nearly identical looking young woman. "I'm just sorry I can't tell you more. About her, me, and Rubes..."

Taking the photo in her own hand and without even a second glance, Yang flung it atop her bunk out of sight before moving her head onto the other girl and use her as an armrest, which she didn't seem to mind.

"And thank _you_ , Weiss, for pretending to be Rubes for the night. We couldn't have done it without you, and I hope dressing as my little sister hasn't caused any permanent damage."

The bright faced heiress snorted indignantly having been stifling giggles ever since catching the girl and having her aura touch her. "I can feel my IQ dropping as we speak and I believe I'm beginning to develop a craving for chocolate."

Yang's arm pulled her close again causing the girl's face to redden even more as between laughs a muffle plea begged for her release, though her request didn't sound too urgent.

"Well, _sis_ , I happen to know where all the emergency cookie jars are hidden, and I think you've earned the right to get chocolate on other _you's_ clothes for once. And I just happen to have some extra special strawberry-" A dragon growled causing them to look down at the girl's bandaged stomach.

"Heh." Yang rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Never mind dessert. When's the food getting here again?" She and her partner glanced down at Weiss who she gave some breathing room and was now busily wiping her face and spitting with as much dignity as she could muster after being smothered most humiliatingly.

During their return back to the dorm, Weiss had stepped away from her companions to order dinner in peace as Yang had been loud and rather crude about wanting to stop for some quick drinks and _'family friendly male entertainment'_ , which she claimed they wanted just as much as herself. A claim they neither confirmed nor denied.

"Well it's a Friday night and the most popular pizza in the city is closer to Patch than it is to Beacon, and since all air taxis have been grounded there's a waiting list of well over an hour."

Yang stared at her earnestly like a starving girl who just might have to go to bed hungry.

"However..." she said with a minuscule grin. "When I put the order in the name of _'Weiss Schnee'_ they quickly apologized and said I'd be receiving the finest pizza Vale has to offer within thirty minutes and that the delivery boy would also pick me up some fresh white lilies and those little puppy boy treats Zwei likes so much. But when I casually mentioned that a particularly shameless blonde-"

"-who has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of," Yang replied proudly, her gaze drifting down the heiress' nose to her bandages before batting her eyelashes innocently.

"-who has a tendency to answer the door when she's less than half-decent was going to shower and gave an approximate time of when she'd be reasonably presentable, the kind young man told me he'd personally pick up a box of chocolates, roses, and make sure there were extra disgusting anchovies for Blake. I told him fifteen minutes from now would be the approximate time so he'll probably arrive in ten hoping to see you _before_ you're presentable. Which you still aren't unfortunately..."

Yang cheered in delight bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet needing all their help to keep from tipping over. "Great! I'll get Rubes!" She removed the scroll from her waistband and despite having already seen much of its contents, Blake again averted her eyes just to be safe while Weiss' were already tightly shut and waiting for her nightmare to be over.

"On second thought..." The sound of the holographic device closing caused them to look back as she tossed it onto her bunk beside the photo. Just as they were comprehending the image of their aura charts and a peculiar red dot moving, Yang wrapped an arm around their midsections sporting a devilish grin and took a deep breath. "Dibs on middle."

Zwei barely had enough time to leap out of the way as all three came crashing down onto Weiss bed, shouting protests and giggling hysterically in a mess of limbs and hair. Slaps were traded as well as punches and kicks but they were _mostly_ harmless and in playful fun as the protests were now merely for show. Auras naturally flared for protection but they almost immediately began intertwining around each other letting them get lost in two other souls that had nothing to hide and let them feel just how deeply loved they were.

"Wow, Weiss, are these Vacuon cotton?"

"N-no! Shut up!" she squealed, in the middle of Zwei sticking his long tongue down her ear. "EEEP! SOMEBODY BETTER MOVE THEIR HAND AT THIS INSTANT!"

"It's not me," two cheery voices replied, the hand not moving.

 _*click*_

Only the faunus seemed to hear the door unlock and gradually creak open, but it was a faraway sound as little air was getting to her head and lungs from wonderful laughter and high-pitched screams, as well as from the bodies piled atop each other fighting for position. Finally, someone's backside moved out of the way and she spied a figure standing in the doorway that caused her to freeze and was soon sensed by the too small of bed's other occupants.

Slowly, all heads turned toward the open door where blurry silver eyes were fixated on the peculiar scene of a glistening blonde in bed with two scarlet faced girls that were sweating and almost as out of breath as herself, one of whom which was like looking into a mirror. And the pair on either side of the pleased girl in the middle couldn't help noticing the sniper-scythe with a fresh coat of paint that was being used as a crutch.

 _*gulp*_

"Ruby!"cried the impostor in a shaky yet commanding voice. "I swear this is _not_ what it looks like!" She tried removing the long cloak that had somehow wrapped itself around their bodies and nearly over her head, but Yang kept pulling it back up to cover her chest as if suddenly modest.

 _*hic*_

"Oh?" Yang slurred, grinning wide and finding a more comfortable position. "I think this is _exactly_ what it looks like. What does this look like to you, _princess_? It was your idea after all."

While the smaller girl went back to shouting muffled protests and flailing uselessly, Blake watched on trying to look as innocent as possible despite having long since lost feeling in her arm as well as its current whereabouts, and hoped she was the only one who thought the stuffy room reeked of sweat and that the oppressive humidity was from being in such close proximity to their auras.

"Ruby, I promise this isn't what it looks like."

The confounded newcomer blinked, still staring at the three with a blank look that hardened slightly when she noticed the dog in bed with them. "Like I haven't heard that before..." she grumbled, glancing at the dark jeans, boots, and yellow socks laying in the bathroom, the damp towel discarded on the carpet, and her sister's skirt-like ammo belt sitting on the desk with its scattered contents leading to the bed as if she'd gotten undressed in a hurry.

"Hey Rubes," Yang laughed heartily, casually waving now that both her opponents were helplessly pinned beneath her. "Don't worry, I'll decontaminate your cape tomorrow. Weiss will probably be doing the same for her bedding, and I'm kinda out of underwear at the moment anyway. We were just doing some innocent Schnee angels together while we had the room to ourselves. Which reminds me, no more laying in or on Weiss' bed. Remember what I told you about staying in the penthouse suite in Atlas and refusing to let _anything_ come in between me and thousand count Vacuon cotton sheets? Well turns out I was totally right and our _princess_ sleeps in the buff and puts her clothes back on before-."

"YOU!" she screamed, coming up for air spitting, unable to untangling herself from the mess of limbs so instead raised her head as though she might bite her. "YOU PLANNED THIS!"

With dramatics, Yang threw the cloak off so it dangled off the side of the bed still pinned to the girl's collar.

"See?" Weiss breathed, looking up at her partner with doe eyes. "We're completely-"

The caped-girl paused as she glanced down from Ruby's empty expression to their disheveled appearances. Out of sheer spite, her wig had stayed in place but like her bunk-mates' long locks it was tangled and plastered in each other's faces, and occasionally having to be spat out. Yang was covered more by bandages than she was by her tank top and the very definition of _shorts_ , but to Weiss' annoyance enough of the girl's golden mane fell over her body to both obscure her injuries and leave what she may or may not be wearing to her sister's imagination. Blake's jacket had been unzipped sometime during the chaos and was laying on the floor along with her katana and was now showing off a dark top that didn't quite reach her belly button and left her shoulders bare, and after a moment realized why she couldn't find her rapier to kill the blonde with. Myrtenaster was now on the other side of the room and her partner's ammo belt unbuckled at their feet, meaning her combat mini-skirt had slipped off her thinner waist nearly to her knees, and wearing leggings underneath didn't seem to comfort her.

"I HATE YOU!"

"That's not what you were telling me _before_ she walked in..." Yang cooed, letting her sister follow her mischievous eyes to the discarded weapons and the articles of clothing that had been so easily removed by her expert hands. "Your high-pitched voice was like music to my ears..."

Their leader may have blinked again but given her sleep filled eyes it was hard to tell, and merely turned toward Blake for confirmation whose smile was no longer quite as innocent.

"Technically speaking we both did, multiple times as a matter of fact." Taking an almost proud look at her jacket and Weiss' unbuckled belt as well as their discarded weapons, Blake couldn't help thinking Yang would be a fantastic pickpocket and wondered if her partner had picked up a few tricks from her, or if perhaps she should be the one asking for tips.

Weiss let out a frustrated scream that caused both the dog and faunus to flinch. "Ruby, I can explain," she gasped, wearing her most practiced guiltless expression even while pulling her skirt back around her waist hoping to convince her best friend of her complete innocence in this apparent debauchery, something that Blake had given up on and now just watched the entertainment unfold with a smirk wishing she had popcorn and a drink.

"Bouquet of Rubys..." their leader murmured at long last. "T'Weiss as nice as a yin of Yangs..."

With those final profound words, their leader started toward them in a daze, shuffling across the small room using her rifle for support step by painful step seemingly dull to it by now. Stopping short of the footboard with a captive audience watching, she gave the bed's occupants a final confused if not disapproving look before shaking her head. With audible gulps from the bedfellows, she folded her weapon into its storage mode and hooked it to her belt, then with a flash of defiance in her cloudy eyes, she attempted to lift herself up but barely got to the tips of her toes.

Untangling herself, Yang rolled off the monochrome pair with Weiss and Blake quick to follow, too busy watching with lead feet to properly adjust their attire. Under normal circumstances, the smallest member of the team could leap onto the top bunk effortlessly, but every night since returning from the hospital she had tried relentlessly to no avail. Each time was marked only in misery and feeling ashamed of needing their assistance for such a mundane task. Help she never asked for but freely accepted once her attempts resulted in Zwei dutifully cleaning her face until peace mercifully relieved her of consciousness.

The perilous climb was made even more daunting due to Weiss lending out her mattress pad which alternated between hot and cold to soothe away muscle soreness. It had been discussed that the partners should switch positions for the time being or completely new sleeping arrangements should be made in the wake of her injuries, but their nearly crippled leader refused to listen and even putting together a ladder for her was out of the question. If she couldn't sleep or needed to get down in the middle of the night then that was where she was willing to wait until morning. But luckily for her, the exhausted girl never seemed to notice all the times gravity reversed under her feet, a shadow gave her a helping hand, or someone cradled her in their arms before setting her back in bed. At least she never made mention of it, and neither did they.

"Here, sis, let me..." Taking Ruby under each arm, Yang effortlessly lifted her onto the footboard before transferring her onto the bed where the smaller girl with her eyes tightly shut acted as though she were crawling up to her pillow on her own accord. The blonde beamed with pride at her sister's stubborn willpower that she believed put her own to shame, and without even looking an expert hand unpinned the cape from Weiss' collar who reflexively shrunk back into the cloak. Embarrassed by the involuntary movement, she glanced up with an almost reluctance to part ways after having grown fond of the crimson cape following her and being a constant reminder of who it belonged to. Removing it from her shoulders in a respectful yet savory manner, she returned it to the older sister who in turn pinned the crosses back making sure they were perfectly straight and ruffled her wig as a show of thanks.

Just as Yang was about to place the cape over the nearly lifeless body of her sister, she spied two golden bracelets threatening to slip off her wiry arms. Without any resistance whatsoever she slid them off and tightened them around her wrists noting the repaired metal plating and fresh coat of paint that perfectly matched her radiant hair. Turning over the right she quickly found what she was looking for, her sister's initials intertwined with a thornless rose artistically engraved on the side where only the wearer would see. And studying the flower closely she noticed something new, beautiful words that more resembled art engraved on its leaves. Small and delicate in appearance but bold and priceless to anyone who looked close enough, just like their author.

 _My name is Ember Celica_

 _I am the fire of Heaven sent to burn away all darkness_

 _My wielder is loving and gentle but I will turn her enemies to ash_

 _She is the Little Sun Dragon and the guardian angel of my creator_

 _My beloved will burn forever and turn every life she touches to gold_

Mist filled Yang's eyes making it difficult to read. Turning over her left bracelet she brought it up for a closer inspection, barely able to make out what the tiny print on the other rose had to say while droplets fell atop of them.

 _For the best sister ever, of all time_

 _I wouldn't trade you even for all the cookies in the world_

 _We both know where I would be without you in my life, thank you_

 _And don't think for a second I would ever trade a day with you for a lifetime in Patchwork_

 _I love you more than you can imagine, sis_

Flourishing her stepmother's cloak, Yang's aura shined almost as brightly as her smile as it gracefully landed atop its rightful owner who let out a soft sigh at the familiar warmth she'd been without for far too long, and a moment later calloused fingers expertly undid her ammo belt and made sure she was properly tucked in for the night as had done since before she could remember.

While both she and her partner were tall enough to study Ruby's ghostly pale face, after scooping Zwei into her arms Weiss had to climb atop her own bed with it's once immaculate sheets to look down at the younger girl and watch her labored breathing. Once she was satisfied by whatever she saw, the former caped-girl lifted a lifeless arm so the eager corgi could crawl underneath to his rightful place. Ruby smiled as her nose was buried in his fur and he licked her face with a long tongue, and together they curled up under their most prized blanket.

Once her breaths became rhythmic, Yang leaned forward stepping on the tips of her toes. "Goodnight Rubes," she whispered, kissing her on the forehead while playing with her slick hair before a quick peck on the lips. "And I'm sorry but you're wrong, sis. I love you more than you could ever possibly imagine. And don't you dare forget that..."

"Night-night, sis," she mumbled back sleepily, perhaps not hearing or simply choosing not to listen. "Night Blake, night me."

Yang chuckled and wiped her eyes as they took her by both sides, all glancing down at sweet and innocent Ruby Rose who was the most wonderful person they had ever met...

"We are so screwed," said the monochrome pair, eyes focused on the newly repaired Crescent Rose which had found it's home being used as a teddy bear along with the corgi.

"Yeah, you kinda are." Yang pulled Weiss back down playing with both the wig and her sister's hair. "Good thing I'm a quick thinker huh? Having to explain why you're dressed as her would've been _really_ awkward and definitely would've made the top five weirdest things she's caught me doing." She tossed her sister's spare ammo belt across the room and snaked her arms around them, and kissed Blake's cheek and atop Weiss' left eye then after short pause administered similar pecks on the lips, lingering just slightly.

"And don't either of you dare forget it either..."

It took a moment for either to register what she'd done, and they couldn't help but lightly touch the tingly skin and look at their hands incredulously, almost as if afraid they might have wiped the unprecedented and unfamiliar tender act away. While Yang continued playing with her sister's hair as though nothing happened, both girls faces blushed and wrapped themselves a little closer around the motherly blonde and team RWBY's older sister.

How long they stayed intertwined like this content to watch the young girl sleep none of them were sure, but Blake became suddenly aware of heavy breathing coming from the open doorway, and once she moved her keen nose away from her partner and her powerful body wash, shampoos, and conditioners that unsuccessfully disguised her scent, she was alerted to the alluring aroma of cheese, sauce, and an extra helping of anchovies. A combination so intoxicating she couldn't even turn her body and could only let out a weak moan while her mouth salivated.

"Now, where were we..." Yang said mischievously, her hands sliding down and guiding them back to the bed.

"Um, Yang?" said a voice sounding like she was going to drown. "Dinner's-"

"Alright you can have middle this time if you want, Blakey. Just don't get used to it."

"Uhhh..."

At the sound of someone choking on their tongue, they all turned to see a boy about their age staring back at them, both his mouth and eyes wide open as if drinking in the scene paying extra attention to the blonde in the middle and her colorful bandages around her chest that more resembled athletic tape, but also noting the mysterious raven haired girl with her bare shoulders and midriff showing, and the corset wearing girl whose skirt was precariously tilting on her hips. All of whom looked like they had just rolled out of the unkempt bed together.

"Hey handsome," said the blonde in a sultry voice, not at all looking surprised to see him. "I was just about to help my girlfriends here get in something a little more _comfortable_. And you're just in time for our _'Friday Night Pillow Fight'_. Wanna be on my team? Winners get first dibs on showers and baths-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the clammy boy fell to his knees with his eyes rolling in the back of his head. But before he could pass out completely, he made sure to fall backwards to protect the over half dozen boxes of pizza, bouquet of roses, vase filled with white lilies, dog treats, and a large box of chocolates in the shape of a giant chocolate chip cookie.

"-for the of the week…" Yang blinked. "Wow, that actually might be a new record. Either I'm even better than I thought or next time the two of you are-"

Her thought was interrupted by a pleased giggle that sounded almost foreign to their ears, and glancing down was Weiss holding up the hand not around the blonde which she flicked causing the red glyph and the barely visible ring around the boy's collar to disappear.

She brought the smoking fingers to her lips and blew on it as if it were a gun, looking up innocently at the pair before revealing a red dust crystal up her sleeve and a devilish grin that put all of those previously belonging to Yang to shame.

"You're not the only one who can plan ahead. I told you dinner was on me after all..."

The partners marveled at the smaller girl with Yang's lip quivering.

 _*sniffle*_

"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" she cried, letting go of her partner to fully embrace the heiress around the neck with tears in her eyes. "You take after your big sister after all!"

"Please, Yang, I can't breath," begged a muffled voice whose feet no longer touched the ground. "And would you PLEASE put some clothes on!?"

Once irreversible damage had been done to the girl's spine and she'd nearly passed out from lack of oxygen, and was likely to have claustrophobic nightmares for the rest of the week, the girls retrieved the pizza boxes, flowers, treats, and chocolates from the doorway and Weiss helped the delivery boy to stir with a freezing cold ice glyph.

Because the food was _technically_ free in their estimation, Weiss made sure he was well compensated for and couldn't help but be curious of what sort of exciting tales he would be sharing with his co-workers who were without a doubt jealous he'd drawn the lucky straw. She had no delusions that the freshly showered, scantily clothed Yang Xiao Long with her antics wouldn't be the main topic of interest, but she secretly hoped mention would be made of another girl wearing a restrictive corset and risque-looking skirt that didn't reach her kneecaps, and who also had a thick scar over her left eye that did nothing to tarnish an otherwise perfect face.

In the fridge sat Ruby's pizza along with her chocolates waiting to appease her once she woke, but in the middle of the room with all the ammunition and other supplies now swept in the corner was a pile of boxes with three girls sitting on the floor beside their bunks stretched out comfortably. Blake and Yang sat on their side devouring their respective pizzas as quickly as possible while still being able to savor the flavor, while across from them Weiss ate with a fork and knife somehow able to keep up with the pair in a refined frenzy. Sharing her fork and having more manners than either of the other girls was the always hungry Zwei who had slipped out of Ruby's grasp and replaced with the corgi shaped pillow.

"Yang, you were right," Weiss nearly purred. "The food _does_ taste better..."

"Yep!" she agreed still chewing, moving a hand to the hem of her top. "But if you would've just waited another minute, I'd have shown him the rest of my bandages and we'd have gotten free food for at least-"

She began to lift and erupted in laughter as pillows were thrown like fastballs at her face accompanied by laughter of their own, and soft giggles floated down from above...

* * *

 **A/N:** **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. A lot of love went into this chapter, and I hope it shows. With Raven, whether she's still walking because of the Branwen semblance, or like Blake suspects is Grimm possessed is up to your interpretation at the moment. She will have a part to play down the road but for now she's just to add a wrinkle to Yang's story. With Amber I thought it would be fun to have a character that tied into Ruby and Yang's past, and having Yang's old training partner be a Maiden would be interesting. Developing their powers side by side would come in handy, especially if anything ever happened to Amber. Sounds like Qrow made himself an _'anti-Maiden'_. I can't help but feel sorry for Amber's attackers. As for Yang's jokes, I hope I didn't take them too far. I see her as the big sister of the team who likes to make her sister and friends uncomfortable and tease them. And how much is her just putting on a show for everyone's entertainment is up to you of course. I had fun with their little misunderstanding there at the end but I hope not too much is looked into their relationship besides them being best friends and sisters, and Yang's logic make sense in its own way I suppose. ****As always, thank you for your incredible support in this journey as well as all of the followers, favorites, reviews, PMs, shout outs, and humble readers. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has blessed me with this story and all of you readers. God bless)**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Bee's Schnees, the Cat's Pajamas, and the Whole ShebYang

* * *

 **(A/N: This is without a doubt the most ridiculous chapter I have ever written. And despite the title, there is no actual shipping (Weiss/Blake/Yang) in this chapter or the story. Yang however has a sense of humor, a naive and gullible little sister, and friends who are easily peeved and annoyed. I hope you enjoy. God bless)**

* * *

Only the faintest sliver of morning sunlight peered through the closed velvet curtains, taped shut so as not to disturb the holographic screen hovering above the desk. Across the darkened room, a small figure sat nestled atop her gravity defying bunk bed with a crimson cloak draped over her. Bright silver eyes as wide as saucers were glued to the large scroll, and the young girl wearing her rose patterned pajamas with padded socks bounced up and down in excitement as what had once been childhood tradition had become an almost religious experience.

Saturday morning cartoons…

Amen...

After the credits rolled and faded to commercial, Ruby continued humming the theme song even while gazing longingly at a bowl of _Pumpkin Pete's_ which was poured by none other than the captain himself. He placed the bowl in front of a tall redheaded girl who sat with her head down at a conveniently placed breakfast table surrounded by fallen foes. With great effort, she lifted the spoon in an unsteady hand as if it were the heaviest weapon she had ever wielded. And despite her bronze sword, shield, and chest plate showing scars of an intense battle, she perked up immediately after only a single of mouthful. She then went back to tossing grown men across a floating arena while the ingredients were briefly listed with over a dozen sugars and artificial sweeteners hastily mentioned.

 _"All part of a complete and well-balanced breakfast, kids!"_ Pumpkin Pete shouted into the camera, and no honorable pirate captain with an eye-patch and talking parrot would ever lie to children. Her sister and uncle said so.

Hearing her stomach growl in a mutinous manner, the caped-girl reached under her mattress, feeling through magazines, books, ammo, candy wrappers, and discarded dirty laundry before retrieving a bag of cereal with contents that hadn't matched the commercial's for a very, _very_ long time.

Now a faded rainbow colored powder, she retrieved a chocolate chip cookie from the jar sitting in her lap as well as one of the expensive chocolates from the large box at her side that had been waiting for her when she awoke. She then dipped both into the bag scooping up as much cereal as possible. With eyes rolling into the back of her head, she engulfed the _'complete and well-balanced breakfast'_ and her body gave an involuntary spasm before she repeated the process as quickly as possible, shoving the chocolate into her gaping mouth and brushing the crumbs down below.

Sitting parallel to the leader from the comfort of her own bunk was Yang with her wild morning hair and now sporting a black top that completely covered her stomach, chest, and shoulders. All the while still hugging her figure of course. Watching intently, she thought back fondly to the time her baby sister had nearly lost a finger in what had been dubbed _'The Great Bite of October'_ , which wasn't to be confused with the formerly great bites of August or September as those affairs had been demoted in order to commemorate the truly horrific event involving chocolate syrup and an insatiable appetite for sweets.

 _*sllllirrrrp*_

While Ruby sucked on the peppermint straw for every last ounce of the strawberry milkshake that had also been waiting for her, Yang watched on with a pleased smile as her sister felt around the bed with chocolate coated fingers until she found a plate stacked with her favorite hamburger pizza, which Zwei was leaving alone since he had his own equally impressive plate that had been neatly cut up for him the night before.

Yang mentally patted herself on the back for thinking to _ask_ the delivery boy if he'd bring them shakes from the Cerulean Cafe in exchange for an extra tip and more importantly, an appreciative _'thank you'_ courtesy of a lonely blonde herself who desperately wanted someone to share her's with. Upon his return however, he immediately passed out again partially due to seeing her _unsuccessfully_ trying to take her top off, and because she asked if he'd help her slip into something a little more comfortable. Despite congratulating herself however and feeling _much_ warmer than the night before, she still felt an occasional bitter chill as if the grave itself was in the room with her.

Sensing an easily perturbed heiress' vein protruding from her forehead, Yang followed her sister's waste and found piercing blue eyes glaring back at her, belonging to a small girl wearing an expensive looking nightgown while she sat cross legged underneath a canopy of sheets. Despite her intensity however, the blonde couldn't help noting the expensive bedspread laying on the opposite side of the room awaiting either a thorough cleansing or a sacrificial burning.

Yang was disappointed of course as she'd been counting on inheriting thousand count Vacuon cotton sheets this morning, but it seemed the white haired girl was either too stubborn and/or vindictive toward her to give them up, or perhaps the heiress' prudishness nature was simply for show and she didn't mind the _'defilement'_ that had occurred the night before.

"Sleep well, Weiss?" she asked innocently. "Have any _interesting_ dreams? I know I sure did..."

Yang's crooked smile only grew with every silent death threat that was shot her way, but she finally reluctantly nodded as she had wasted too much time already. Her little sister's favorite cartoon opening was about to begin, and the last time there'd been an interruption it hadn't ended well. With the recently sharpened Crescent Rose under her pillow, not even Yang Xiao Long with Ember Celica's gold sparkling around her wrists was willing to press her luck.

"It's starting!" their leader squealed, readying her lungs while the girl beneath her merely inhaled through her nostrils. As much as Weiss pretended to disdain Saturday mornings and made a spectacle of covering her ears with pillows, the heiress secretly enjoyed seeing what she had been missing all these years.

In sync, the sisters fell into an awkward chorus along to the over the top theme music that half the dorm could no doubt overhear. Soon however their voices were drowned out by the perfect pitch of a angel that reminded everyone in the room why every sold out concert in Atlas had been because of talent, not her regal name and certainly not because of her father's poorly veiled _charity_ events.

When the song ended, Ruby clapped in appreciation demanding an encore, but as soon as the cartoon began she brought her knees to her chest, absently taking bites out of the buffet she was surrounded by but just narrowly missing her fingers.

"We are so taking you to a karaoke bar for my birthday," Yang said, awed despite the months of hearing that voice whenever the girl showered or simply wanted to show off in front of her friends. And as Yang had noticed the occasional cute boy...

"It's nothing special," Weiss replied, glancing down and scowling at her unpolished manicured nails. Attempting humility but not meaning a single word.

"Anyway, that's what happened Rubes." Yang stifled a yawn for effect, not that her sister noticed. "We've all been pretty stressed out lately, and since you were in your _'home away from home'_ , I decided to take our partners out clubbing to one of mine. As you can see the guys there played kinda rough but that's how we like it, especially Weiss as it turns out, but they weren't anything we couldn't handle. Your partner even got _lucky_ last night..."

"Excuse you!?"

"Good for her…" Ruby mumbled, wearing a vacant expression. Too busy watching as three children with puppy noses climbed out of a water tower. She did however have the wherewithal pull her cloak tighter as the room's temperature plummeted.

Yang flashed a playful grin and proudly held up a handful of colorful lien. "Lucky as in she won big at the blackjack table, about five months of your cookie allowance I'd say. Turns out you're not the only one who can count cards, sis. Although…" she drawled lazily, "now that I think about it, she still hasn't told us what happened _after_ she strolled into the VIP room with the two hottest guys in the club practically drooling over her. Or why they didn't come out for over an hour, all covered in sweat. Except for your partner of course. She was barely even glistening..."

"Training… Good idea… We need to get back to training…" their leader murmured, having shared her fears almost daily about her team getting rusty and out of combat shape.

The heiress' face brightened to a shade of red that shouldn't have been possible, making it impossible that Yang could've missed the thin smile Weiss thought she might've been getting away with.

 _'You're an incorrigible liar,'_ her lips read _, 'but thank you…'_

Yang dipped her head as if to say it was nothing and turned her attention back to the opposite bunk. "Sorry about not taking you, sis. But you're not old enough and I've been saving this _particular_ club for your sweet sixteen. And your sensual seventeen, and your erotic eighteen, and your naughty nineteen, and your..." She trailed off for a moment before wiping her mouth and shaking her head.

"Where was I again? Oh right, and I have no doubt you'll get as lucky as your partner did last night, or maybe even your awesome big sis for that matter." She sighed deeply. "Sometimes I amaze even myself..."

" _Every body_ ," Weiss sang quietly, " _needs some bawdy._ "

" _Every body, needs some bawdy_ ," Yang repeated in arrhythmic chorus. "And you do realize don't you that I'm not the only one who's got a birthday coming up, _Weiss_..."

The blonde gave her a mischievous smile that quickly turned infectious, causing the girl to look away as whatever Yang Xiao Long had in store for her was going to be a combination of all things deplorable and indecent. And she just couldn't find her voice to complain.

Minutes later the cartoon faded to another commercial break causing Ruby to blink several times as if she were seeing spots around the room. "Which none of you can do legally either," she said, sounding mildly disappointed. But whether it was because of her roommates' behavior or the disruptive commercials remained a mystery. She did however give the shadowy figure underneath the blonde and the girl hidden beneath herself apologetic smiles as if to say sorry for them being corrupted by her sister.

"We're seventeen," Yang whined, pulling at her wild mane. "We're legally adults, and _we_ didn't need permission slips just to be placed on co-ed teams. It's not fair that we can join the military or the huntsmen, die for our kingdoms, but still can't drink until we're eighteen."

"It's never stopped or slowed you down before," her sister grumbled, still glaring at the scroll with her face turning a noticeable shade of pink.

Needing permission to be on a co-ed team had been a point of contention between the sisters in the past. While Yang had been sharing rather enthusiastic fantasies about rooming with two boys since she could remember, she on the other hand had objected to being on a mixed team even before their father could, in spite of the countless hours Yang spent trying to convince her which she thought might've been insincere.

In truth Ruby still couldn't understand how Pyrrha and Nora could be so comfortable and relaxed around their male counterparts even if they were dating.

Even if they were close friends of hers, they were still boys...

As if reading her fifteen year-old-sister's mind, Yang let out a pleasurable sigh and winked. "Don't knock it till you've tried it, Rubes..."

Being the youngest of the freshmen class, Ruby still couldn't help feeling a tad self-conscious around most of the other students, but especially the boys. Unlike Signal the majority were a foot taller and had a hundred pounds of muscle on her, and seemed so different compared to the boys her own age that hardly shaved yet and that she was still coming to terms with finding perhaps more than just a little cute.

Jaune and Ren weren't _cute_ however. They were legally adults and handsome young _men_ just like how her teammates were beautiful young _women_. And just the thought of sleeping in the same too small a bedroom, fighting over bathing privileges, and occasionally changing in the same team prep room with two boys made her face flush. As well as make her skin feel slightly feverish.

Her parents' team had been co-ed so of course she and Yang had heard countless embarrassing tales of inevitable awkward moments that occurred when boys and girls lacked privacy for four years. And for Ruby, sharing _everything_ she had from half of her dresser drawers to her very soul with three other girls, even one that had practically raised her, with the goal of forging a bond deeper and more intimate than words allowed was difficult enough _without_ two of them being snuggle buddies and eye candy for her sister. And perhaps for herse-

Her face reddened even more and she caught her sister out of the corner of her eye still wearing that lopsided grin of her's, subtly motioning toward the photos from her vacation in Vacuo. Instead of falling victim for the trap however, Ruby merely gestured toward the day planner where she laid her own head at night with it's various motivational quotes and stuck out her tongue.

Yang skipped the one she was pointing at that looked as though it'd been scribbled in a desperate moment that read _'Lord lead me not into temptation'_ as it wasn't as fun or humorous as the one below it.

 _'Maybe it's not me, maybe it's the rest of the herd that's insane.'_

In her teammates' mind those words encapsulated and defined their quirky young leader. But below that written in beautiful cursive handwriting and permanent marker courtesy of the girl's partner, _'God loves crazy people, that's why He made so FREAKING many of them.'_

Yang stuck out her own tongue but couldn't help chuckling to herself, savoring her little sister's innocence while she still could. As well as just how easily distracted she was...

Ruby's head shot up once CRTN Network's host came back. "No- No- Now back to the show, f-folks."

The blonde's eyes drooped as she noticed the sheets below her sister rustling, and moments later a pale face poked out with its misty blue eyes brightened by the screen.

Weiss had felt her partner's apologetic gaze even through the top bunk, and had to cover her shame and avert eyes from the best friend they were lying to. It hurt, and Yang understanding what she was going through pretended to only be looking at the sheets she so desperately desired. But for the shadowy figure underneath her, amber colored eyes had been reading the leader's every facial twitch looking for anything that might give her away.

 _Nothing_...

Laying atop the sheets and curled up in a ball, Blake's mouth opened wide with a massive yawn as she struggled to stay awake. Between herself and Weiss it was a close tie for who was the worst morning person on the team. For the faunus however who enjoyed her peaceful cat naps during the day, missing all of them and staying up late to gorge on food and cut up with friends was making this a particularly painful morning.

As usual she had fallen asleep in her black yukata. A traditional garment in Mistral which along with picking up traces of her partner's cadence was to support the belief that she hailed from an eastern territory instead of Menagerie, the home of faunus, outcasts, and traitors.

A keen eye would be able to spot in an instant that it was simply a reproduction made in Vale, but it's silk threads were to die for even if it was rather revealing of her long legs. Liking the garment so much, Blake had occasionally worn her partner's who despite owning close to a dozen never saw her wear a single one, and one day seemingly out of the blue gave them all away to make room on her side of the closet.

According to Ruby, their father had imported the brightly colored garments from Mistral in hopes that his eldest daughter would stop walking around the house in her bare minimals, but Blake suspected they'd rarely if ever been worn. And to say the roomy yet even more revealing garments of her taller, more endowed partner were comfortable would be an insult to them of the highest degree...

Yawing once more, she contemplated seeking warmth beneath the covers but even after all these months at Beacon it was still difficult for her to sleep with them confining her. Too many times in the wilderness had an unzipped sleeping bag or lack of covers bought her valuable seconds when a hungry Grimm wandered into her camp, finding other more convenient prey that wasn't quite able to escape quickly enough.

She had grown accustomed to nightly chills and was even willing to put up with her partner's wry remarks about the peculiar way she curled into a ball with only thin sleepwear and her yukatas to keep her warm. As well as her cheerfully pointing out how the short garments sometimes revealed _more_ than just her long legs. Even the heiress flaring her aura hadn't troubled her, but all morning long every time Blake looked up at the caped-girl she couldn't help shuddering and holding herself tighter.

After she and Weiss had both gone to bed with their hair still damp from taking the longest, coldest showers either could remember, they had just started drifting off to sleep when Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs and sat up in a cold sweat holding her stomach in pain.

It was her worst nightmares to date, and even Yang who could've slept through an Atlesian air raid had woken and hurried to her sister's side asking if she was alright. Ruby of course had answered characteristically by silently spending the next several minutes climbing down her bunk refusing anyone's help. Then limped into the bathroom with Crescent Rose held closely as if afraid of monsters and took a shower longer than she'd been asleep for.

Since returning from the mission, Ruby at first had been relegated to taking _baths_ out of a sink before she was able to take her first in their tub, but after a fit of stubbornness and ingenuity a chair had been placed in the bathroom for her to sit on while showering. Which had been much needed last night after sweating in the machine shop all day and falling asleep in her clothes. But despite having more than enough hot water due to Blake and Weiss' frigid showers, their leader's had possibly been even more bitterly cold as she had screamed and cried the first time her feet touched merely lukewarm water a few days prior.

While Yang had evidently set her bloodstained bandages, jacket, and t-shirt on fire while in her shower so as not to leave evidence for her sister to discover, Ruby's own bandages around her feet and other gruesome injuries had been thrown in the bathroom's wastebasket. But they'd quickly been hurled out the window as the smell had made Blake and Weiss feel terribly ill, and increasingly worried about the girl's health.

In the passing weeks what little of her rose scented aura the faunus could smell seemed as though it was slowly wilting and decaying, but for the moment at least she didn't seem to be in any discomfort or pain. For which Blake was immensely grateful.

Entranced by her favorite cartoons Ruby was in good spirits this morning. But just to make sure, her sister had gone the extra mile by presenting her favorite chocolates and jar of cookies, her favorite pizza and milkshakes, and most importantly her beloved red cape. Ruby also seemed to be more energetic than she had as of late, however Blake gave little credit to the sugar she'd been ingesting all morning as her tiny body was simply already accustomed to running on little to no sleep.

Their small leader couldn't keep going on like this forever. Blake knew it, and Yang and Weiss knew it even if they didn't want to admit it aloud. Everyday they silently grew more worried and afraid as the nightmares were becoming more frequent, and increasingly more violent…

Occasionally Blake would catch the girl absently running her fingertips across her stomach where she'd been clutching it the night before. She couldn't recall _all_ of her leader's injuries as they'd simply been too numerous to count, but she would never forget seeing her pitiful, small broken body lying in a rose covered crater. Or those miserable yet wonderful days spent in the hospital together.

Rarely had any of the roommates seen beneath the girl's baggy clothes and bandages to see what horrors were underneath. Ruby had been rather shy about her injuries, never talking about them and even asked her sister, who she had even less reason to feel self-conscious in front of than her other roommates, to please look the other way the few times she had needed help getting dressed or undressed.

Yang's eyes had peeked of course to see how her baby sister's sluggish recovery was coming along, but she'd never mentioned how the girl's stomach may have looked as Ruby had always kept herself well covered. According to the tearful blonde however, if Ruby's bruised, burned, and lacerated back was any indication, it wasn't likely a pleasant sight.

Blake wanted to believe her leader's reflexive motions were simply due to an unprecedented stomachache from too many sweets being shoveled down her throat, but it seemed so unnatural to think of Ruby Rose, chocolate-holic extraordinaire as having a stomachache that it possibly worried her even more.

"Woo-Hoo!"

The faunus flinched as the sisters shouted at the top of their lungs to the theme of yet another cartoon opening, this time on the DSNY Channel. Her uncovered ears were reluctant to unfolded from the top of her skull, but they quickly pointed in the direction of an angelic voice across the room. It didn't take long for her heavy eyelids to droop and her stiff muscles to relax. While Blake occasionally caught herself humming along on Saturday mornings, she much preferred Weiss' solo renditions and had to catch herself before she could slip into blissful sleep by the improvised lullaby.

"I wish I had a money bin to go swimming in," Yang sighed, after the song had ended and the establishing shot was revealed. "With all the sand that's gotten in my bikini over the years I wouldn't mind finding some gold. Well, more than usual anyway…"

"Really?" Weiss replied nonchalantly, ignoring that last part. "The next time you're in Atlas you're welcome to come swim in mine."

"You have a money bin? That you do _Schnee angels_ in?" Yang laughed, playing along while her sister stared blankly at the cartoon duck faunus on screen. Which as her irritated, cat-eared partner kept reminding them didn't actually exist in real life.

"Of course I do," Weiss stated emphatically, running a hand through her hair which was just as untamed as the blonde's this morning. "I even have my own lifeguard. And he's quite _qualified_ for the job I'll have you know."

"Meaning he has six pack abs, a tan, and wears a speedo that-"

"Possibly."

"He ever join you for a late night swim?" Yang asked with a crooked smile that was anything but innocent, and didn't give the heiress enough time to respond. "Ever go skinny dipping? Don't be shy, _princess_. We've all-"

"That's none of your business," Weiss huffed, raising her chin but not even attempting to hide the wicked grin in the corner of her mouth. "But I'm sure I haven't done anything in my money bin that you would do, _blondie_. And I assure you that I still have infinite more class than you ever will."

Yang cheered in delight as her own words from the night before were thrown back in her face, but her giggles and praises of approval were quickly hushed by her sister who was leaning forward with about as much intensity as she would if a Beowolf was in her sniper sights.

Blake realizing that sleep was a distant luxury found herself in need of a distraction. With her body protesting she rolled over onto her back and dug underneath the pillow, finding the beauty magazine she had procured from her partner the night before when sweeping her supplies into the corner. For a reason she couldn't quite explain, something about the magazine's unusually pristine condition had caught her sharp eye, and asked to borrow it claiming she was considering changing her hairstyle to better cover her ears.

Yang had said _'yes'_ without even looking to see what she was being asked of her. Too busy gorging herself on pizza, and admittedly Blake had translated ' _ygghssrrr_ ' as an affirmative. Weiss having noticed the oddity of Blake asking for such a magazine, would occasionally give a curious glance across the room thinking she was being stealthful, but in the dimly lit room not even the slightest movements went unnoticed by the faunus.

Inside were all the types of people Blake had grown up despising, but particularly the girls. She had never thought much of models or those that got ahead in life simply because they were considered better looking, and had personally doubted they _thought_ much either.

Being a scrawny girl digging through trash cans for her next meal had a peculiar way of making one resent those that had been dealt a better hand in life, as well as a prettier face. All her life Blake had been the girl that blended in with the crowd and passed over for someone else. Something she learned to use to her advantage.

Pickpocketing had been a way of survival and came second nature to her even in a land where faunus kept one hand on their coin purse and the other on their weapon, as well as an eye out for the local chieftain's men. He and his warlords, who preferred the title of nobles, held absolute power in their area of influence. And as a child and young teenager in the dilapidated port city of Kuo Kuana, Blake had seen countless _luckier_ girls taken off the streets to serve one of the chieftain's many houses or groomed to be some noble's next wife. She had hated those girls the most. More often than not they were the illegitimate daughters of the nobles themselves. The lucky few their fathers _didn't_ want dying in the streets...

There had been other less fortunate girls in Menagerie that used their bodies to get their next meal, but Blake had sworn that she'd rather go hungry. And occasionally she had, with poisonous belladonna flowers growing no less than an arm's reach away. A quick, painless death to fall asleep to and with an unprecedented full stomach. A personal favorite of the nobles for when their pretty faced servants were no longer required, or when an unwelcome child was born. And where the little known term _'belladonna girls'_ came from...

Blake's disdain and deep rooted bitterness only began to soften shortly after arriving at Beacon, when she met the model that put all of the other pin up and cover girls to shame. Yang Xiao Long was to put it mildly, a knockout blonde with everything a girl could want in ample supply. She was exactly the type Blake had condemned for being self-centered and as thoughtless as they were brainless. And their first short interaction together had only confirmed her suspicions of the girl being nothing more than a lost beach bunny.

She'd been proven wrong in just their second meeting however, when she discovered that her soon to be partner had a baby sister that she adored more than life itself. Those few fleeting minutes together had admittedly felt to Blake like hours as the blonde shared seemingly every thought came that between her ears. Which just so happened to have been her precious Ruby, who had just turned fifteen only a few weeks prior to being accepted into the world's most prestigious school for training elite level huntsmen and huntresses.

Blake had found herself ruefully endeared by the seemingly oblivious girl who spouted harmless nonsense, but also a little nauseated that she could be so cheerful all the time and perky even early in the morning. She hadn't exactly been wanting to like the somewhat ditsy blonde whose very presence demanded attention, especially not one that either flirted, teased, or made terrible jokes with every breath of her wide open mouth.

Their third fateful encounter had been alone in girls locker room. Blake had stepped away to check her bow for the eighth time that morning when she discovered Yang fresh out of the shower, apparently wanting to look her best before being hurled into a Grimm infested forest.

Blake had kept to herself the snide comments about the girl not wasting any time in taking off her clothes, as well as being the first of _many_ at Beacon to discover certain intimate details about the blonde like the lack of visible tan lines and the peculiar location of a heart shaped birthmark. In the middle of getting dressed however, Yang had asked if wearing a bow so tightly bothered her ears. And if it hadn't been for a particular brutish blonde blocking the bathroom door while posing like a skimpy underwear model, Blake would've run out of Vale as quickly as possible mere hours before initiation.

The ruse of being an ordinary human hadn't even fooled the so-called _'ditsy'_ blonde for any more than a minute. In fact she'd been just as oblivious to the charade as she'd been to standing in front of her half-naked, or so she claimed anyway. The faunus liked to think she had been the one to choose who she'd be sharing her soul with for the next four years, but she suspected it had been the other way around. Blake certainly hadn't been the one to suggest being the heavy breather's bunkmate…

She still believed the majority of models were airheads, something her partner didn't deny, but Yang had made an offer that Blake simply couldn't refuse, not after her secret had been discovered in less than a day. If she picked Yang to be her partner, she would keep Blake's secret from even her sister and her own partner, and would teach the outcast every trick she knew with hair and a makeup brush to better hide her faunus heritage. But Yang made it known from the very beginning that she preferred Blake without the bow, and that cat puns were some of her personal favorite.

Since becoming partners, Blake had actually begun caring about her appearance beyond just which of her previously plain black outfits and bows she'd wear. Before she had worn even less makeup than her leader who couldn't care beyond a light coat to appease her sister and partner. Blake however had become something of an addict when it came to mascara and eyeliner as the tilt of her eyes were somewhat reminiscent of a cat's. But much to Blake's surprise and chagrin at the time, Weiss had unknowingly been invaluable to her disguise. She was even more proficient with a makeup brush than Yang, who while an expert after pouring over countless beauty magazines still had much less experience compared to the heiress.

Yang didn't believe in imperfections, but that was all Weiss could see, and admittedly Blake couldn't help thinking the worst of people. But Yang as they believed, had absolutely nothing to hide or be ashamed of.

Her partner didn't subscribe to dozens of fitness, fashion, beauty, swimsuit, cosmopolitan, celebrity gossip, and slightly more risque magazines because she needed tips from so-called professionals. Yang quite simply had an objective appreciation for beauty both male and female, though she did have a particular interest in the male physique.

While Blake wanted nothing more than to hide in shadows, her best friend thrived on being the center of attention and the life of a party, and didn't have to try very hard to get what she wanted. She had already won the genetic jackpot when it came to curves and muscles that would make any huntress in-training jealous , but she had also inherited a golden tan, perfect hair, soft skin, and everything else a teenage girl would kill for. All that however paled in comparison to the radiant soul she freely shared with everyone, but only intimately with her sister and the girls that had become her sisters.

To Yang, anything artificial that covered up one's natural beauty or detracted from it was simply sinful. Clothes, makeup, and even jewelry were meant to highlight one's beauty that was unique only to them and draw it out, not replace or take away what that person had to be proud of. To some it may have sounded shallow, and admittedly in the beginning it had to Blake as well, but slowly she had came to understand her best friend. Yang loved people, and she honestly wanted to see their inner beauty on the surface just like how her aura made her shine like no other. And how her sister and friends looked in her eyes.

Having your aura unlocked and active meant wearing your soul on your sleeve, but depending on the person it also meant having an unnaturally _natural_ beauty about you, and Yang's followed her like a halo from the sun. People got to see for themselves the real girl beneath the perfect body, and soon realized she was somehow even more stunning. By constantly sharing her aura, you couldn't help but feel warmth and unmistakable happiness whenever Yang stepped into the room. And you also couldn't help acknowledging how wonderful of a person she truly was, even if her sense of humor and boisterous personality could be insufferable to live with sometimes...

There had been a reason Blake had at first mistaken Yang as a lost bunny looking for her beach. By Yang's own admission she was proud of her body and didn't think she had anything to be shy or modest of. She was an unabashed _'beach girl'_ having lived and gone to school in an old repurposed lighthouse on Patch's southeastern shore. And like most other students she'd worn her swimsuit under her uniform to save time, and perhaps to put on a little show for the boys. She'd still occasionally wear her bikini under Beacon's uniform, mostly because she owned more bikinis than she did actual undergarments, but her almost daily sunbathing in the courtyard had been disallowed after the schoolwide distractions she'd caused. So instead she had moved to the more roof of the student dorm for _privacy_ , and made sure to let everyone know it.

And the girls in this magazines had absolutely nothing on her...

Blake continued to flip through the pages of the magazine with a bored expression, looking for something in particular. It was well over two hundred pages full of swimsuits and summer outfits from earlier that year, the only season her partner dressed for. However like most other fashion or beauty magazines, there were models wearing what resembled huntress attire but didn't appear practical in the slightest. Just because aura was a form of armor didn't mean _that_ much skin should be exposed, unless you were Yang of course. Then again team RWBY always was much more fashionable than it was practical, and her partner did have a saying about girls kicking butt and having theirs look good at the same time. Which she'd often comment on to all of their chagrin.

Making sure the heiress' was occupied by the bright cartoon, Blake found what she was looking for. Tucked in the middle of the magazine away from prying eyes was a folded paper stained by chocolate fingerprints. She unfolded it with as much care as had been placed in keeping it otherwise pristine, and found the series of drawings that were just as odd to her as they'd been the night before.

The sweet-tooth artist was just as obvious as the blonde haired subject. An awe inspiring page filled with Yang posing in multiple positions similar the models throughout the magazine, with her chest puffed out as she ran a hand through her golden locks viewed from low angles. All the while wearing, or more accurately spilling out of, her favorite yellow bikini that was always sure to make _every_ head turn.

Blake frowned as she couldn't help being reminded of the woman's photo from only hours prior, or the oddity before her. While Yang keeping pictures of herself was nothing out of the ordinary, having her little sister draw her while posing rather suggestively in a bikini was very peculiar.

Unless she'd been bribed, which given the fingerprints she obviously had been, Ruby's occasional drawings of her sister and teammates always revolved around them either fighting Grimm or posing dramatically with their weapons. When the young leader put her mind to it she could create near lifelike portraits, but while they did wear admittedly less than practical huntress gear, she never focused much on their _physical_ beauty as much as their weapons and emphasizing them as the fearless huntresses she looked up to and admired.

Here however, Ruby had somehow captured her sister's body and soul perfectly. Her every curve, muscle, _asset_ , and even every lash of her flirtatious winks were as well crafted by colored pencil as Ruby's work on Ember Celica. Blake half expected to feel the girl's aura radiate off the page, and rolled her eyes as she could practically hear her teasing voice asking if she liked what she saw.

 _'Don't flatter yourself. You're good, probably the best, but you're not THAT good..._ _'_

 _'Wanna bet?'_

 _'Not particularly no...'_

Blake shook her head before the Yang in her mind could respond again. She knew how this not so imaginative argument went, and who would be its eventual winner by forfeit.

While Ruby was naturally shy of saying such things, she knew just like the rest of the world that her sister was a knockout, and that there wasn't a soul that could rival her's. She appreciated her the same way as Blake and Weiss had come to, perhaps having all gained the blonde's objective appreciation for beauty even if none of them particularly practiced it. Yang certainly had more than enough confidence and self-esteem to share with them.

Glancing down one of the pages that she'd found the paper inbetween, Blake reread the article that requested aspiring young models as well as artists to send their portfolios to the address listed, and for the models to also include their measurements. Blake looked back at the drawing and what was written at the very bottom in gold ink with a heart dotting every _'i'_.

 _'Thought you'd like to know that it took my baby sister less than fifteen minutes to draw these. All the while sucking on a candy bar to keep her from bit- complaining about having to shade her big sis's best assets. Including but not limited to my ravishing pair of size-'_

Blake skimmed through the braggadocious paragraph of all her partner's measurements that should've been considered embellishment of the highest order but didn't contain the slightest fib. Which annoyed the envious wiry girl just as much as it ruefully impressed her.

 _'P.S. And just so you know, I'm WAY hotter in person...'_

She grinned wide while shaking her head, doing her best not to snort at such an astounding claim yet understatement. She couldn't help wondering if this was some sort of an idea for extra income during the spring and summer. Beacon didn't allow jobs and endorsements during the school year, and rather frowned upon its female students modeling, clothed or otherwise.

Shade or Haven Academy would've allowed it without hesitation, and likely would've even encouraged something more _risque_ of her to bring them notoriety and hopefully increase the enrollment of seventeen year old boys. They'd have her knocking on doors as a recruitment officer in a bikini if they'd had the chance.

Despite still only having a very _slight_ objective appreciation for the types of girls in these kinds of magazines, Blake couldn't blame her partner if she was considering modeling once the school year was over. Only a fool, or someone as bitter as she'd once been, would ever criticize Yang's figure or pass on her being on the cover of the next best selling swimsuit magazine. Blake wouldn't have even been surprised if she'd already modeled without her family's or the school's knowledge.

There was also Ruby's often overlooked talent to consider. She was already a master engineer and a huntress prodigy, but she had more than enough artistic ability to make a living drawing Grimm while hundreds of miles away from them.

Blake also knew how the sister' current income situation was like. Putting up the money for two girls at Beacon Academy hadn't been easy on their father and uncle, or themselves. Perhaps it was just a part time job that her partner was considering, but something inside her insisted that there was more to it.

 _Ruby safe. Hundreds of miles from the nearest Grimm. Yang… I know what you're-_

"Team PKMN! Gotta kill 'em all!"

The faunus jumped, hitting her head on the top bunk's unforgiving wood frame as Ruby cried out. She looked around the room seeing black spots, and realized she'd been tuning out the cartoons and ignoring her roommates out for the better part of half an hour. Guilt sunk in her chest as it had been her duty to be examining her leader's face, watching for tells that would give her away. Instead however, she'd been looking at scantily clad models as well as her partner posing in what Weiss would've considered hardly decent underwear.

 _Yang planned this. I know she did. And she must never know. Or else I'll never hear the end of it..._

"Say something," Weiss hissed as the theme song ended. Since _'PKMN'_ had been one of Ruby's favorite cartoons since she was a child, she'd seen every episode at least half a dozen times. And since it was a rerun from last week it meant that interruptions likely wouldn't be responded to with violence. Probably. Hopefully...

Before Blake could find her voice thinking Weiss' comment was directed toward herself, Yang thankfully cleared her throat. "Don't know how else to tell you this, Rubes, but I'm pregnant."

"Okay…" her sister mumbled, eyes transfixed as a young huntsman in-training and his mouse faunus partner killed a Grimm with lightning glyphs.

"It's shocking to all of us I know," Yang said dryly. "You can imagine Blake and Weiss' surprise when I told them they're both going to be _mommies_."

Snickers came from below the blonde's bunk, but across the room, the Ice Queen's eyes pierced through them both. Their only saving grace was an uninterested grunt from the oblivious caped-girl.

"You want me to go into vivid detail of _how_ it happened, sis?" Yang asked nonchalantly, smirking at the heiress and kicking her long legs, barely missing her partner's head. "Or would you like your _'best friend forever'_ to explain why I'm having gorgeous blonde haired, blued eyed kittens in roughly nine months?"

Blake stifled her shrill cries and wiped tears from her eyes as Ruby's cluelessness to her sister's off kilter humor was almost as amusing as Weiss' desire for blood and the steam coming out her ears.

"We'd be glad to reenact it for you if you'd like, but I've also got visual aids for show and tell..." Yang held up her scroll for Weiss and her preoccupied sister to see. Videoed from the vantage point of where she was sitting now, three girls fell into bed together with clothes along with weapons being stealthily removed by the blonde. Yang claimed _stripping_ them had been effortless due to all the experience she had disarming opponents and helping her younger sister into pajamas when she was too sleepy or injured to do it on her own, but her not so innocent look while saying this hadn't fully convinced her friends.

 _*twitch*_

Soft moans and labored breathing filled the small room, and slowly two cat ears peeked into the blonde's view, attached to a faunus that was no longer amused. In the video, their faces were buried under a mess of black and blonde hair while limbs and perspiring bodies fought for dominance on a bed that was much too tiny for the three of them.

It had all been playful and innocent fun the night before, intertwining their souls for comfort after such an emotionally exhausting night. It had been an intimate moment to be sure, sharing their literally selves unable to hide a single thought or feeling from each other, but Yang's warped sense of humor and this video painted _another_ picture entirely. One that neither Blake nor Weiss particularly appreciated...

Blake gave her unaware leader a nervous glance before shooting her partner a murderous glare. "If that video _ever_ gets out, we will kill you."

" _Slowly_..." Weiss reiterated.

Yang hummed in delight, falling back onto her bed kicking the air. She continued watching the scene play out, thoroughly pleased that she had centered the scroll perfectly with her lazy toss. Now she had the perfect home movie to amuse herself with, and of course tease and threaten her friends. But more importantly, she had a wonderful memory captured forever. It would never match the real thing of course, but by turning the volume up and listening past the familiar moans and groans and heavy breathing, she could just make out the most wonderful words in the world escape from three pairs of lips.

 _'I love you.'_

After her friends had nearly gone eighteen years without saying them, much less hearing them, Yang herself didn't know the next time she would hear those beautiful words. She knew she wouldn't have to wait forever, but patience wasn't one of her virtues. Watching and listening closely to the audio however, even _her_ cheeks began to turn a little pink as someone let out a husky moan.

"Sounds like _somebody_ was enjoying themself," she chuckled.

"Speak for yourself!" snapped the monochrome pair in unison.

"I am actually," she said with a smile, winking at her partner while motioning with a bare foot toward the magazine in her hand. "See something you like?"

"Huh!?" she shouted, perhaps a little too loudly.

"Your ears." Yang lifted her hands mimicking a cat's as if she'd forgotten she had them. "You said something about wanting to wear your hair differently."

"Oh! Um, yeah…" Blake carefully removed the magazine from view. "I mean, I don't know. Umm…"

She trailed off as Yang turned her head. Blake followed her but froze as soon as she saw that the team leader no longer had her attention turned toward the cartoon. She was staring straight toward them, or more specifically, the scroll that Yang chose only at that moment to lower the volume of before actually pausing. On a particularly awkward looking frame at that.

 _We are so screwed..._

Nervous laughter filled the room but died out just as quickly. While Weiss carefully retreated under her fortress of sheets, Blake slowly lowered herself back onto her bed and shrunk into the darkness.

Ruby took a deep breath through her nostrils. "So while I was downstairs making Crescent Rose and Ember Celica feel better, the three of you were doing _'Schnee angels'_ in bed together!?"

 _We are SO screwed..._

"Yep!" her sister said heartily. "It was Weiss' idea actually."

 _*whimper*_

Ruby shot her partner a dirty look that despite her not being able to see still caused her to shudder.

"She's the one that suggested we use her bed, sis. Something about her loving us and wanting to prove it."

Ruby covered her mouth, and slowly her scathing silver eyes fell to the dark bunk. Just as Blake was beginning to feel anxious under the steely gaze, it appeared that all the years of experience she had with her bawdy sister won out over whatever logic there may have been. Blake certainly couldn't see any.

"I CANNOT believe my sister seduced my two best friends into getting in bed with her!" Ruby cried.

Weiss made a choking sound while shaking her head violently from side to side. "That's not-"

"Alright, maybe I can believe it." She eyed the blonde savagely. "How long has this been going on behind my back!?"

"Well Rubes-"

"What's wrong with all of you?" Ruby sniffled, something falling from her eyes. "Don't you trust me? Were you afraid I wouldn't approve and be disappointed? Did you think I'd love you guys any less? I could never do that..."

 _*sniff*_

Both Weiss and Blake flinched as her sorrowful words cut deep, making them wish she'd used Crescent Rose to cut their hearts out instead. Her head hung in disappointment, whether in them or herself the faunus wasn't sure. While Blake's immediate reaction was of immense irritation with Yang for her antics, it didn't go unnoticed by her that Ruby wasn't upset by what she _thought_ she'd interrupted. A total misunderstanding that personally gave Blake a migraine, slight nausea, and an earlier than usual urge to kill her partner.

No, what upset and hurt Ruby was that her sister and friends hadn't told her of this fictitious _'relationship_ '. Thinking they'd been afraid she'd disapprove or perhaps think the worst of them, something that simply wasn't possible. Blake found it incredibly sweet of the girl, albeit in a _very_ awkward and _very_ mistaken way, but then Ruby opened her chocolate filled mouth again and somehow made the situation even more uncomfortable.

"AND WITHOUT ME!"

Blake joined Weiss in choking this time, but from the rocking of the bunk bed she knew her partner was relishing every moment of their discomfort.

"We had a deal, Yang!" she cried, pointing an accusatory finger. "In article fifteen of the _'Best Slumber Party Ever'_ clause, I am to be a part of all _'Schnee angels'_ , pillow fights, girly things, and immature team bonding games! No exceptions!"

"Hey, take it up with your partner. She's the one who _manhandled_ us into her bed. And you know full well that I can't resist a good _'Schnee angel'_. Especially when I've had a dozen drinks and come home with guys, or girls apparently, rearing to go at it."

The monochrome pair glanced at one another with rivaling looks of shock and disgust.

 _My God, my partner really is an outrageous teasing bimbo..._

 _My God, my partner really is an oblivious idiotic dolt..._

 _Exactly! Wait… What?_

Blake read the heiress' thoughts that were written across her scarlet face, and soon realized what it was she was troubled by, thus making her slender shoulders slump forward as she stared with an incredulous look that bordered on apathy.

 _'Really, Weiss?'_ She mouthed. _'THAT'S what you're upset by? Not Yang all but coming out and saying that her sister walked in on us in the middle of having a threes-'_

"Why was Weiss dress up like me again?" Ruby asked, interrupting the faunus who broke out in a grin. She enjoyed this part of the story, mostly due to the look on both Ruby and _Ruby's_ faces. "I kinda spaced out earlier."

It was also the third time this morning...

"Because she's a billionaire and heiress to the Schnee family fortune," Blake said coolly.

"And a celebrity who's practically royalty in Atlas," Yang added, causing the girl to beam.

"That's right!" She raised her chin up high. "I can't just be seen with the dregs of society, or in a filthy night club with a name like _'Every Body, Needs Some Bawdy'_ as _Weiss Schnee_. I'd be mugged or worse, on the front page of one of your trashy gossip magazines. Like the rest of the more affluent, sophisticated class that wish to keep their noses clean, we do it by throwing money around to keep people quiet and by pretending to be someone else."

"And who better than your underage sister," Blake remarked dryly.

"YEP!" Yang cheered, fist pumping the air. "And I mean let's be honest here, who wouldn't wanna kill the Ice Queen?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the blonde while Ruby slowly nodded.

"Makes sense…" she mumbled.

"Does it!?" her partner screeched.

Blake opened her mouth but was cut off by thundering above her head.

"I. Am. So. Proud of you!" Yang bounced up and down on her bunk unable to contain herself. "Don't worry, sis. After the night Weiss had, come your birthday you're gonna be a legend downtown. And once all the _female friendly entertainment_ is over and we've all had our fun in the VIP room, I'm sure you'll get a _special_ goody basket and walk out with at least a couple of the guy's speedos or G-"

"Especially faunus," Blake interrupted, raising her voice to get everyone's attention. "Ruby, we're her teammates but you're Weiss' partner. That means you've got a target on your back and a price on your head."

The caped-girl stiffened. She opened her mouth to argue but was interrupted.

"Please, just take my word for it." Blake paused to swallow something bitter down her throat. "Killing you would send a message to everyone associated with the Schnees. That _none_ of their friends, business partners, or even acquaintances will ever be safe. And the two of you are partners, which means everyone knows that killing you would also mean killing a part of Weiss."

"The better part…" Weiss whispered, loud enough for only the faunus to hear.

Blake's intense eyes softened as they fell from the leader. Below, a dainty looking girl almost seemed to melt into the expensive white sheets as her face paled. She had been born with faunus cursing her name just as they had her ancestors. But to think someone would lay a finger on innocent little Ruby Rose, her best friend and the kindest person alive, just to get back at herself was enough to make her blood run cold, and her uncovered scar burn...

Despite the sudden drop in temperature, Blake could feel heat radiating off the bunk above her while Ruby simply looked down at her buffet, seemingly no longer having an appetite. Zwei climbed into her lap but she only absently played with his ears. All the while Blake's shadow shrank.

In her attempt to look as human as possible, Blake had inadvertently made herself a target, and an enemy that she couldn't help but sympathize with. Being mistrustful of humans was still only too natural for her after all her years in Menagerie and traveling the kingdoms and lawless territories with the White Fang. For almost an entire year she had been looking over her shoulder for Grimm masks and katanas, but it never occurred to her that her disguise might be too perfect.

Like her friends, she was now a target for any ordinary faunus who harbored a grudge against humans for what they felt was injustice, and who'd would stop at nothing to lay hands on a Schnee.

It hadn't been that long ago she would've called herself a traitor for sleeping in the same room as Jacques Schnee's youngest daughter and not taking advantage of such an opportunity. A quick slit of the throat, a silent retreat out the window, and she'd be a hero to generations of faunus. She'd be given a title in her homeland, and her old family would accept back her with open arms...

She had seen hardened looks from a handful of her fellow faunus classmates when they thought no one was looking, and heard their muttered curses whenever the heiress or occasionally her teammates passed. But again Blake couldn't help finding herself the least bit sympathetic. She had caught herself occasionally glaring at the girl in a similar manner early into the first semester, but now she felt just as protective of the small, delicate looking heiress as Yang did for her sister. It made her sick to think this must have been how her friend grew up feeling while her family and company were terrorized by her kind, and how countless other humans were now feeling after hundreds of the City of Vale's own faunus nearly destroyed it.

"After what happened two weeks ago," Yang said suddenly as if reading her mind, hanging her head upside down to address everyone including her partner. "I think it's safe to say we're all targets now."

Blake nodded, although reluctantly. "Like it or not, we're partially responsible for over a hundred faunus deaths. Even if they were with the White Fang, a lot of my people don't believe they were entirely in the wrong. And it's just going to get worse now. No one trusts the faunus, and who can blame them…"

Yang lifted herself up but not before giving a weak smile and ruffling the top of her naked-looking head. Like her sister, she much preferred her best friend without a bow covering her _'adorable kitty_ ' ears. But as much as she wished Blake would stop wearing them altogether, she thought perhaps now wasn't the time. Hundreds of citizens were dead and even more wounded, both faunus and ordinary humans. After decades of peace, tensions between the two were rising, and she was probably right. Things were only going to get worse with the Vytal Festival nearing.

When the golden mane was out of the way, the faunus saw her leader's comforting eyes and smile as though Blake were the one she was honestly worried about at the moment. But Blake only reciprocated out of politeness.

 _My people want you dead almost as much as they want Weiss, and yet you're the only one in the room who actually wanted to save them..._

At the same time, Blake couldn't help catching the heiress out of the corner of her eye, running her fingers over the ugly scar that looked much worse this morning. Pretending to be playing with her hair but she knew better.

"You should especially avoid any wolf faunus on the bad side of town, Rubes," Yang added out of nowhere.

"Huh?" Ruby glanced up, instantly trying to read the stone-like face that was even harder to read than Blake's.

"Wolf faunus," her sister said coolly. "There are a lot of them downtown and they're bad news. I don't want you going down there again by yourself. In fact from now on, no one leaves the campus by themself. We use the buddy system. Clear?"

"Clear," repeated the monochrome pair, leaving out only their leader.

It wasn't unusual for Yang to pull rank on her little sister. When push came to shove it was clear who was the alpha and whose orders overruled whose, and who'd respond to insubordination with a fist that could take a Ursa's head clean off.

Ruby continued watching her sister's smiley poker face that was as unreadable as ever. The relentless warrior and ingenious leader that always came alive during battle had just lost her authority with her team, and perhaps wasn't happy about it. Just when the others began to think a fight might break out, Ruby nodded her head ever so slightly.

"It was one time and I was just passing through," she said calmly, speaking in a very un-Ruby-like manner. "And I have a question about Weiss."

Blake again shrank back while Weiss pulled the covers up, needlessly shielding her face from the silver eyes she could feel piercing her.

"She was wearing one of my corsets, my boots, my ammo belt, a perfect wig, rose scented perfume, _and_ my cape which no one told me had already been fixed." She gave her sister a dark look at the mention of the beloved cape that she was currently wrapped around in. "How'd they know that she wasn't me and that she was pretending to be me and not me dressed as me?"

Weiss removed the covers from over her head and glared at Blake who was busy counting pronouns.

 _'Told you she'd ask,'_ her pursed lips read. _'Just because she's a dolt doesn't mean she's as dumb as she looks and acts.'_

Once again Yang shrugged, kicking her legs over her ducking partner's head as casually as ever.

"Dunno know really. There's a lot of things that could've tipped them off. Like her warm and friendly personality for instance that goes so well with her snooty accent."

"Hey!"

"But I like to blame her perfectly manicured nails myself. Something you ought to look into, sis."

Ruby glanced down at her unpolished fingernails that were normally kept short due to chewing and constantly breaking them in the machine shop. But seeing some leftover chocolate she had somehow missed quickly stuck it in her mouth.

"Either way, Rubes, they figured it out and that's all that really matters." She gave her sister a caring look and Ruby couldn't help but nod back believing her. "We're still not a hundred percent and they had us outnumbered, and they turned out to be tougher than they looked. I got banged up pretty good but I ended up giving some big bad wolf faunus a nasty concussion and a broken kneecap. Before that though he said something about being an info broker, whatever that is, and said he'd be willing to make a trade. So he got off easy and I found out the password to the VIP room of my favorite club. Which means I won't have to flirt my way in or kick the door down anymore."

Something in her words caught the caped-girl's attention, and she ruffled her brow as if in deep thought before it was quickly interrupted.

"But don't ask me why Weiss decided to also wear your frilly, rose printed underwear. Which I approve of and I'm very proud of you for by the way."

Both girls' faces turned scarlet.

"I HAVE NO SUCH THING!"

"I DID NO SUCH THING!"

" _Y'all_ wanna bet?" Yang held up her scroll which was still frozen on the three of them in bed together, but with a flick of the wrist she brought up a picture of a half dressed heiress doing her best to squeeze into a tight corset thinking she was alone. Her finger hovered dangerously close to the screen in a threatening manner.

"Trust me, I've got more. And in case you forgot, Rubes. I do your laundry, you've never been shopping without me, and I like snooping but especially after you buy things. We might reorganize the dresser every other week and my side might be a little bare, but about a third of the time we do share an underwear drawer together. Heh, I guess none of you take after your _big sis_ after all…"

Hearing her perky voice caused Blake to choke back laughter at how shameless her partner could be simply to play along and keep everyone's attention. And after the heiress' shame passed and she could look her friend in the eye again, she squinted to read the faunus' lips. _'And neither is Yang…'_

Blake watched as Ruby continued to study her sister's face, but once it was clear she wasn't going to get anything other than a cheeky grin and brazen jokes out of her, she turned back to the screen just as her show returned from a commercial, now reaching its climactic battle. Occasionally though she'd glance at her sister who'd only smile and give a thumbs up.

Normally an expert at reading faces in the dark, Blake was having the same problem as her leader when Weiss waved for her attention.

 _'Does she know we're making all of this up?'_ she asked somewhat hysterically. _'Is she worried we found something else from the broker? Is she upset that someone tried to kill me? Or is she completely oblivious while that blasted cartoon is going, and God help me, Yang actually knows what she's doing!?'_

Blake blinked, surprised by her own lip reading ability. She turned toward the caped-girl careful not to look directly at her. Unlike her sister, it appeared Ruby had learned her lesson that someone in the room could see better in the dark than she could in the light. At the moment she was just as impassive as she was on the battlefield, but the knuckles of her hands turned white as one gripped her beloved cape, and the other her shirt just above her bellybutton.

 _'Yes,_ ' she answered vaguely, noting the persisting abnormal stomach ache.

Weiss scowled. Her partner was the youngest team leader in the rich history of Beacon Academy. She was an expert engineer who could give the SDC's best a run for their money, and could master almost anything in a short amount of time due to her semblance, and forget it just as quickly all out of boredom. But just as her partner's mind being able to race hundreds miles an hour to keep up with her body could solve seemingly impossible hurdles in seconds was a blessing, it was just as much a curse. Which was a blessing for those who knew how easily distracted and exploitable that imaginative mind of her's was.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss crawled out from underneath her fortress of Vacuon cotton sheets while smoothing out her elegant nightgown. As her bare feet touched the carpet, she kept her back turned toward her partner and the screen, meaning she also missed Yang turning the channel just as the cartoon ended, as well as the silver eyes that glazed over.

A devilish grin curled up the blonde's face as she lowered her hand and received a gentle slap from the faunus below. Not completely satisfied, she wiggled her fingers until she felt a plastic card slip between them. Bringing up Bumblebee's gas money, she kissed the red card as yet another bet had been settled, while another was on its way.

"It was terrible, Ruby!" The heiress covered her eyes as well as her heart dramatically. "Over two dozen bloodthirsty scoundrels wielding knives had us surrounded. They all wanted to cut me-"

"-and more importantly your cape," Yang added.

"-to pieces." Weiss suddenly stood up straight with her left foot forward, mimicking a defensive fencing posture. "But it wasn't anything Myrtenaster and myself couldn't handle. Though I suppose Blake and your sister weren't entirely useless."

The girl in the black yukata huffed but didn't say anything. Instead she just like all other eyes in the room were entranced by what they saw on the screen.

"Hey! Is anybody listening to me!?" When Weiss realized her many hours in acting classes were going to waste, she stomped her foot and turned around, and quickly scolded herself. She had very nearly missed the opening to _'RESL'_. The largest pro-wrestling company on Remnant.

A hungry growl reverberated in the small room as Yang had a very deep appreciation for tanned, muscular men beating the hell out of each other in their underwear while covered in a mixture of sweat and oil, and fighting over oversized jewelry and an thundering audience's satisfaction.

Blake and Weiss claimed to ' _tolerate'_ the barbaric sport, but they hadn't missed an episode since the first week of school. And while Blake had a _'RESL'_ themed calendar and several notebooks stashed away, Weiss had gone so far as to procure front row tickets the next time the show came to the City of Vale, as well as backstage passes for the four of them.

She maintained it was only so her partner wouldn't beg her when the time came, but that still didn't explain the stacks of eight-by-tens of the world champion under her bed.

"I am so letting the tag champs buy me a drink," Yang vowed in a deep, husky voice, watching as both of her men sent themselves and their opponents sailing off of a ladder and through flaming tables. "I would look good wearing nothing but two twenty pound belts of gold and leather. And maybe if they're lucky we can even try out a few wrestling moves. Just the three of us..."

Neither Blake or Weiss breathed a word. Only nodded their heads which were tilted to the side and one of them stealthily wiped the drool off their chin.

"I'll show them the meaning of a T-L-C match. Have I ever told any of you about my finishing moves?"

"Don't talk Yang," said the obviously distracted faunus. "But yes, too many times in fact."

"At least wait until commercial," Weiss said in a low, almost primal voice. "But for the record, I called dibs on the world champion..."

"YAY!" Ruby cried. "I just remembered! It's gonna be a six man tag-team main event! Champions vs challengers!"

Blake snorted and eyed the heiress who if she heard didn't react. Yang however simply reached down for a fist bump which was humorously swatted away, but eventually connected with to make the future tag match for the championships _official_.

"Don't worry, Blake," she cooed. "I'll share a belt with you. Can't speak for Weiss though..."

It took several seconds after the intro and everyone shaking their heads for them to look around the room. Weiss stared at Yang and Blake as if expecting one of them to speak, but seeing something evil in blonde's grin caused her to shudder.

 _'...and neither is Yang…'_ Her friend's words haunted her mind.

 _*gulp*_

Noticing the shadow stretched across the room, Weiss' wide eyes slowly raised up to see a red cape billowing despite being indoors, and its rightful owner standing high atop the bunk bed slightly hunchback and grinning ear to ear.

"Ruby," she pleaded as her partner scooped up Zwei into her arms. "Let's be reasonable here. I apologize for impersonating you and for possibly creating a reputation for you downtown. I'm equally as sorry that you walked in on us doing _'Schnee angels'_ without you. But if we can just talk about this I'm sure-"

"SUPER CORGI SPLASH!"

Weiss screamed as the finishing move was announced and all three bodies collided, with her shoulders hitting the carpet.

"1-2-3!" Ruby cried, slapping the ground for the three count.

"AHH! STOP!" high-pitched wails begged, submitting due to the corgi's long tongue tickling her face.

Ruby raised her arms as theme music played in her head, but glancing down at the pinned opponent beneath her, she saw fear and watched as her furry tag-team partner scurried beneath Weiss' bed.

Wondering who had suddenly pulled the curtains, Ruby looked up to see the sun bouncing atop the opposite bunk bed. The other half of the future world tag-team champions was readying for her signature elbow drop, which had never failed to put away her pint sized opponents.

Blake waved goodbye to her friends as the bed atop of her threatened to collapse and crush her, but was too busy watching the opening match to care much.

Both Ruby and Weiss grabbed hold of each other, screaming and crying while they embraced.

"Ruby, I want you to know that I-"

"Weiss, I want you to know that I-"

And then as if in slow motion, the blonde bomber took flight. Smiling as everything had gone exactly as she planned...

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Without a doubt this is the most ridiculous chapter I've ever written, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. Having to explain why someone was impersonating you and why your doppelganger, your sister, and your close friend were in bed _together_ would be pretty tough to explain, unless you grew up with Yang Xiao Long and she knows every single one of your quirks. When she's indisposed with pizza, chocolate, cartoons, and wrestling is a pretty good time to tell Ruby just about anything. I especially thought it was funny that Yang would rather her sister think she caught them in bed doing something _else_ rather than the actual truth. Which whether Ruby simply knows her sister too well or is just that oblivious is up to you.**

 **I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. I honestly didn't expect this chapter to be this long, or take so long to finish for that matter. There have been a lot of unexpected events pop up the past couple months as well as a couple set backs. Thank you for your patience. I hope I rewarded you in kind.**

 **Now is the moment I've been dreading for what feels like years. Back in December of 2014 I had been going through writer's block for an extended amount of time for another story I had been writing. W** **hich is one reason "The Petals Scatter Now" was born actually. The book I had been trying to write just wasn't clicking. However that's changed the past year but especially the past couple months. It's grown by leaps and bounds, and (un)fortunately it's a story that I feel that I must pursue. Please don't get me wrong however. I am NOT abandoning this story or its narrative. "The Patchwork Prodigy" will simply become more of a side project. It will still be updated, I don't know how regularly, but given my delays as of late it's possible you may not notice much of a difference. The rough drafts for the next couple chapters are rather short after all.**

 **I wouldn't be the writer/storyteller that I am today if the Lord hadn't blessed me with readers such as yourself. You have given me the confidence that I was sorely lacking, and experience I desperately needed. This story will still be updated, but I also plan on sharing at least the first three chapters of my other story with you hopefully sometime soon. It will be a RWBY/Supernatural crossover as well as an AU/OC. The characters and their relationships will share characteristics and some resemblances to my interpretations of Yang, Ruby, and Weiss while taking place in a world reminiscent to Supernatural's, but it is a completely original story and one that I have fallen in love with. If you've enjoyed the characters and/or storytelling of this narrative then I believe you may enjoy my book. Over the years I have used this story to feed my ideas, and then feed them back into my book. I hope you'll forgive me, and that you'll understand how much this pains me. Writing has become a great passion of mine, and one that I want to share with the world. Thank you for all you've done for me. God bless you.**

 **Thank you, friends. Please don't ever forget that you are loved totally and unconditionally. There's no greater feeling in the world. People who feel loved, love back the most. And you have made me the happiest, most loved RWBY fanfic writer on this site. Thank you.**

 **As always, thank you for your incredible support as well as for all of the followers, favorites, positive reviews, PMs, shout outs, and humble readers.** **All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless)**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Thief and the Butcher, and Ice Cream

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you everyone for your unbelievable patience and your support. If you have enjoyed reading "The Petals Scatter Now", "The Patchwork Prodigy", or my interpretations of Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and/or Yang, please check out the first chapter my latest story "Remnants of Salvation". It is a RWBY/Supernatural crossover that follows a seventeen-year-old girl named Sarah and her little sister as they search for an end to their financial troubles in a city plagued by ghosts, infested my monsters, and crawling with even less savory fiends. It is an OC/AU, however it is heavily inspired and influenced by my interpretations of team RWBY, and contains elements from the earlier seasons of Supernatural. I hope you enjoy. God bless**

* * *

Clashes of metal had been echoing throughout the campus since before sunrise. For nearly two weeks, every capable student had been using the impromptu school break to hone their skills and keep sharp. But by most it was seen as a way to scope out the competition, and perhaps even intimidate them.

It hadn't occurred to Ruby that the courtyards would be _this_ rowdy when she suggested going for a walk around the dorm. All she had wanted was some fresh air and prove to her friends, and herself, that her injuries _were_ in fact improving and that she wasn't helpless. Her babysitters had tried reasoning with her of course, but Ruby Rose had been in no mood to be reasoned with. She had said if they wanted to stop her they'd have to tie her down, and after convincing Yang to put the rope away her teammates gotten dressed and followed her.

Having spent much of her childhood at a combat academy, Ruby found the harmonic symphony of weapons almost relaxing. She had spent countless hours watching from her sister's bedroom window as Signalites trained in the courtyard below, and it was only a few short years after moving in with her that she began watching her dominate whatever challenge the combat instructor put in front of her. She had idolized her big sis then almost as much as she did now, and still had difficulty believing anyone could see them as being in the same class.

Those happy memories were but fleeting thoughts of nostalgia however. This was Beacon not Signal, and since taking her first steps this morning in her patted boots and socks, all she could focus on was putting one foot in front of the other and try to ignore the pain as best she could. And despite it being a chilly autumn morning, she had beads of sweat rolling down her brow, and her face was flushed due to being out of breath.

Beside her and walking with about as much grace, her hunchbacked partner muttered another string of curses directed toward Yang, who was walking a few steps ahead and conversing with Blake. Like them, the blonde was wearing long sleeves and jeans, but had also dug out of the closet a somewhat tight yellow pullover that her sister vaguely recalled was a neglected birthday present from a couple years back. And due to them being conspicuously missing from her dresser drawer this morning, she was also possibly wearing her bumblebee patterned pajama bottoms as thermal underwear. Their absence had been fairly noticeable to her current dresser-mate due to them being the girl's only sleepwear that covered her upper thighs, and Weiss had desperately wanted to call her out on this peculiarity but reconsidered as it meant at least she was wearing _something_ today _._ And maybe she'd make a habit of it...

"Could we _please_ stop discussing this!?" Blake cried, shaking her head as she tried to get a particularly obscene image out of her head.

"What?" Yang raised her hands innocently. "All I said was that Sun and I would have the best looking babies Remnant has ever seen. It was just a hypothetical fact, and it's not like I went into too many details on _how_ it would happen. The two of you are going to have beautiful monkey-kittens someday. His tail coupled with that shapely Bellabooty-"

"And we're moving on," she said quickly, trying not to laugh or let her pink cheeks show. It would only encourage her.

"Don't worry, Blakey. Your _boyfriend_ isn't my type."

At this the faunus finally couldn't hold back her snorts. "First, he isn't my boyfriend. Yet," she added after a brief hesitation. "And second, since when have tanned guys with abs and unbuttoned shirts _not_ been your type? Especially the kind that like to get into trouble?"

"Alright," she relented with an extra bounce to her step. "So I'd probably let him buy me a drink or three if you hadn't called dibs and he wasn't already off limits. You don't have to worry about me getting involved with the two of you, _unless_ of course the you two take me up on my offer for a-"

"No. It's never going happen and I know you're bluffing." Yang gave her partner a devilish grin but before she could say a word was interrupted. "But I know better than to call you on it..."

"Smart thinking. I for one could find a _lot_ of uses for a guy that can make multiple copies of himself, which now that I think about it so can you..." Yang paused to give the blushing girl a playful wink. "But just so you know, if he ever makes my bestie cry, I can and _will_ fit him into an ashtray. And I've watched enough cop shows to get away with it too."

"Um thanks, Yang." Her partner blushed even brighter. "We're still letting each other see other people, but that's really sweet of-"

"Hey is it just me, or do you have a _thing_ for tall, gorgeous blonds with a tan that are named after the sun?"

"And there it is…" She rubbed her temples as the migraine finally set in.

"It is _just_ me isn't-"

 _*smack*_

"Someday you're going to learn when to keep your mouth shut," Blake grumbled, massaging her hand while Yang did the same for the back of her head.

"You know that's going to cause brain damage one of these days," she said semi-seriously.

"Humph!" The faunus glared at her. "I doubt that. And thanks to _your_ antics on the roof last night, I have a giant, _shapely_ bruise that hurts whenever I sit. So I don't want to hear a word from you."

"You want one on the other cheek so they match?"

 _*SMACK*_

"Okay. I'm sorry," Yang whimpered. "I'll be good... in public. Can't make any promises for when we're alone though..."

They traded some playful nudges but were mindful to slowdown for their shorter legged teammates who had fallen behind a bit, and kept an eye on the limping caped-girl.

"I hate your sister." Weiss whined to her partner, just loud enough for the blonde to overhear. "I think she broke my spine and set my aura back at least a week."

Ruby nodded, barely listening as she shuffled along, biting her cheek with every meticulous step. She didn't seem to register why her friends had been standing on a roof on a chilly night of _clubbing_ , or why Blake kept rubbing her backside and was walking a little funny this morning.

Yang turned her head and pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Hey, Rubes is the one who started it."

"And she's half your size!" Weiss shouted. "Congratulations, Yang _X. L._! You pinned two girls whose combined weight _almost_ matches yours!"

"Hehehe..." she chuckled darkly, cracking her knuckles as she slowed. "Now those are fighting words if I've ever heard them."

Blake shook her head and pulled her overeager partner along. "Please don't encourage her, Weiss. Ruby wanted a peaceful walk around the dorm." She paused momentarily as she noted the violence just up ahead on either side of the path. "So could you please save the rematch for when the two of you are healthy enough to kill each other?"

The pair narrowed their eyes and stuck out their tongues, but slowly their attention returned to the younger girl who didn't seem to be paying any attention to their antics. Her pace was slowing every few steps, and at this rate would collapse before reaching the end of the courtyard.

"You alright, Rubes?" her sister asked quietly.

Instead of answering, their leader merely glanced up with a face dripping with sweat and a grimace that let them know just how sick of that question she was. Despite her never ceasing defiance however, her friends knew by the tired look of her dull eyes that even _she_ knew she'd never make it all the way around the dorm.

"You know, sis," Yang said, facing her and walking backwards, "while we were out last night, I could've sworn I saw Glynda in the VIP room of the club we were at. Guess Qrow wasn't lying about the bookworm being a weekend party girl back in the day. The jury's still out on whether she actually entered any of Patch's world famous spring break t-shirt contests though. But if she entered, my guess is she would've won. Except that my mom would've entered too. A champion has to defend her crown after all..."

At the mention of their uncle, Ruby glanced up but didn't respond.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Weiss shook her head while mirroring Blake's startled expression. "Professor Goodwitch. Our Professor Goodwitch used to be your babysitter when the two of you were kids?"

Yang nodded, though seemed surprised by their reaction. "Yeah, a few times a long time ago. I've told _y'all_ this before. She's an old family old friend and graduated a couple years behind our parents. And is that _really_ more shocking than her competing a wet t-"

"We thought you were lying," Weiss said frankly while Blake nodded, though wishing she hadn't interrupted _quite_ so quickly.

"Me lie?" She covered her heart as if hurt. "Never..."

All their eyes met and fell on the caped-girl who was beginning to have trouble even keeping up even at their snail's pace.

"Glynda was strict but not like the tyrant she is now," Yang continued. " _'Brush your teeth, go to bed on time, stop sticking crayons up your nose and other orifices'._ That kinda thing. She was still working on her master's degree after her four years with the huntsmen and being a private dueling tutor. Occasionally she'd be a guest teacher at Signal, and sometimes babysat us when Dad and Qrow were away at conferences. But that stopped around the time she was made Beacon's head combat instructor. It was great though, being able to break anything and have her fix it like magic, but man that riding crop hurt..."

She grimaced and began to walk a little funny as if remembering something unpleasant. "She could be a lot of fun though. Whenever she'd get done raiding Qrow's fridge, she'd tell us stories about our parents and what it was like being a huntress. She didn't talk about her field work very much though, just like Dad and Qrow. Most of the time she talked about being in the Vytal Festival and wanting to train champions. Her team never was never able to make it past the quarter finals, but-"

Yang cursed herself seeing how Ruby's eyes lit up before they quickly darkened at the mention of the tournament, and swiftly cleared her throat. "But _'little miss spring break'_ was celebrating last night that's for sure. And probably brought _someone_ home worth celebrating too. But she still couldn't hold a candle to us, sis. It's a good thing we had all those CPR classes because we were taking guys' breath away left and right. Tell her, Weiss?"

"I thought we agreed never to speak of that day ever again," she muttered, refusing to make eye contact. "And that under no circumstances are we to ever preform CPR for each other."

"You'd rather die than let these luscious lips touch yours... again?" Yang asked feigning disappointment.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

While they continued their friendly banter with even Blake jumping in occasionally, their hearts weren't truly in it as their eyes were busy watching Ruby's every move. Weiss shared a knowing look with her teammates, and subtly patted the dust pouch attached to her belt. Inside she had packed her favorite chess set given to her by her late grandfather. For centuries, virtually every Atlesian whether aristocrat or commoner studied the game as it more in common with a sport in the northern kingdom. Weiss had been taught by the finest tutors money could buy and spent countless hours of rigorous training to be a junior champion, but in less than four months since learning the basics, her partner was quickly becoming her greatest challenger.

It had been astonishing to her that Ruby would even be interested in a game that was without blood and violence, but was even more astounded when the girl she claimed as having a head full of rocks began effortlessly mastering strategies that had taken her months or even years. At the time it had been as infuriating as much at it had been humiliating, but the more she learned about her partner and the more inseparable their souls became, the more she realized just how special she truly was.

Weiss had been called a prodigy since before she could remember due to her almost surgical skill with a rapier, the intermediate level glyphs she could create even as a child, and her cunning mind that outwitted chess masters almost as easily as business executives. She also had a voice that could make grown men cry, slender fingers that could make any instrument sing, and a gymnastics routine that had earned her perfect scores time after time. But she had never truly understood what a prodigy was supposed to be, only that was what she was _expected_ of her. It was only after meeting and befriending a _real_ prodigy for herself, and swallowing her pride, that she finally understood what that burdensome word meant.

At an early age she had taken to heart the saying that it took ten thousand hours of practice to become a master of anything, and so she had spent her childhood and teenage years trying to master everything she put her mind to or was put before her. Only perfection satisfied the people of her household, and more than anything Weiss had wanted to be perfect in every sense of the word.

Ruby on the other hand seemed to have difficulty concentrating on any subject other than weapons and fighting with weapons for any more than a few minutes. She was more scatterbrained than her ditsy sister and even more hyperactive, but it had been by teaching the young girl the fine art of chess that Weiss discovered the simple reason why.

Pure. Unadulterated. Boredom...

For Ruby Rose, ten thousand hours could pass in the blink of an eye. Despite being two and a half years younger, she had arguably spent more time honing her skills as a huntress than even Pyrrha and Yang, or even herself. And Weiss found that her relentless combat style translated even in chess, and that her unparalleled fast talking, fast thinking partner was the _perfect_ match for the calculative, methodical mind of herself. She did like to take a _smidgen_ of the credit however, as she believed her partner couldn't have asked for a better teacher.

Weiss' skills had been tested in the game as well as in combat like never before, along with her patience and sanity at times, but now just thinking about her best friend's suffering caused Weiss' soul to grieve horribly as though it was splitting in two. She desperately wanted to see the girl laugh or smile sincerely again, but for the time being would settle on just occupying her mind even for a little while. It was maddening for herself and teammates, but after taking cues from Yang on the best way to approach Ruby in her current situation, it was the best they could do.

Ruby did genuinely like the game, but truthfully it was mostly because she enjoyed her partner's company. With that said however, what truly kept the girl coming back for more punishment from the merciless Ice Queen was the promise of a year supply of chocolate should she ever be bested in a no time limit game, which had quickly become a condition when the heiress realized that there likely wasn't a person in all of Atlas that could beat the girl in speed or bullet chess.

It was like offering ice water just out of reach of a small girl dying of thirst in the vast Vacuoan desert, and Weiss relished every minute of their mind numbing contests. She enjoyed watching her partner's childish aggravation at losing, but found herself admiring her stubborn resolve to someday eat chocolate morning, noon, and night every day for a year. But it also made her sick to think about...

"Ruby?" she asked casually. "Would you care for a game of chess? I saw that your cookie supply was getting fairly low this morning." Her partner may have given a slight nod, but the way her weightless head wobbled side to side it was difficult to tell. "Ru-"

"Sure..." she cut in, blinking moistness out of her eyes every few seconds. So long as no one admitted why they were really sitting down and played along, so would she.

"And while _y'all_ are doing that," Yang drawled. "I suppose Blakey and I will keep discussing our 'S _unny Bumblebees'_ dilemma."

 _*smack*_

Yang turned, holding the back of her head and shivering as she saw the ice glyph dissipate. Facing around, she saw the heiress with a hand in her dust pouch, grinning wide while the girl beside her sighed deeply due to the cool, refreshing air. Or perhaps from feeling her partner's aura brush against her skin.

The blonde did her best to hide her grin and the appreciation in her voice. "Why is it always the head?"

"Because it's not like you have much to lose," Blake answered dryly, like them trying not to laugh. "We've seen you headbutt an Ursa to death, Yang."

"And we're just taking after our wise, illustrious leader, whose first interaction we saw with you involved her _punching_ you in the face as hard as humanly possible. Which didn't even phase you by the way."

"Good times," Yang agreed. "But you left out the part where I sat on her chest and tickled her afterward."

"And it's not like we don't already beat the hell out of each other in training," Blake added. "Or when we're fighting over showers, the last bottle of hairspray, which of the Achieve Men looks best without a shirt... and pants, or something even more mundane."

"Like when the _heavyweight_ champion suddenly decides to dive off the top bunk onto the two hapless corgi-weights, and nearly causes _both_ of them to suffocated because of her inflatable-"

"I assure you that I am in fact a bantamweight, but I get your point," the blond relented. "How about while _y'all_ are busy playing smart people checkers, Blake takes me to where she gets her _cat_ -scans?"

The monochrome pair cringed at the terrible pun but their leader still didn't react. Even Yang's repeated usage of _'y'all'_ and mocking her sister's slight rural accent was lost on her, which was normally a sure fire way to start a fight between them.

"Come on, sis," Yang said quietly. "That was a good one."

"Huh," Ruby looked up. "Oh, yeah. Good one, sis..."

She mustered up what little laughter she could but it came out more like a wheeze. Lifting her pullover up a bit, Yang retrieved a bottle of water from her ammo belt and offered it to her. A few seconds later Ruby handed back an empty bottle and gasped for breath, but gave a weak thumbs up in thanks.

During this time the sounds of battle had become more like a roar, and as they began walking through the parted sea of armed students, the caped-girl couldn't help but notice people gawking at them. Or more specifically, _her_.

"Um, why are they staring?" she squeaked.

Blake and Yang aware of the unwanted attention, dropped back with the now vertical standing Weiss so as to make a perimeter around their leader, with the blonde taking point and the other two flanking the vulnerable girl in the middle, just as they'd trained.

"Well let's see now," Weiss murmured. "After two grueling days in the lost city we thwarted a terrorist attack, killed over a thousand Grimm together with _you_ doing most of the slaughtering, killed an Alpha Deathstalker and an Alpha King Taijitu, heroically saved countless civilians, and captured the most wanted criminal in all of Vale. Perhaps they simply know excellence when they see it."

"Oh..." came a hollow sounding voice.

"Let them stare," Yang cooed, grinning confidently as she walked with her hands atop her head and sultrily swaying of her hips. "They're looking at this year's champs. And they look good if I do say so myself..."

While the heiress and the knockout blonde had no qualms with being the center of attention, Blake looked as though she was desperately fighting the urge to tighten her bow, and it felt to Ruby as though every eye was burning through her. Through some fortitude she didn't know she possessed, Ruby's feet picked up the pace to what was perceived by the other students as a slow, assertive trot. Weiss having preformed at countless concert recitals was used to standing in front of hundreds if not thousands of onlookers, and due to her status as celebrity had learned to ignore or at least tolerate scathing eyes. Yang however was _savoring_ the attention, winking at any sweaty guy and enjoying their starry-eyed expressions afterward. She was just disappointed she was wearing such unimpressive and criminally unrevealing clothes, but assured herself that the pullover hugged her figure nicely and only gave the boys more room for their imagination.

Most of the attention had gone from herself to her more compelling sister as well as her teammates, but Ruby still felt burning in her cheeks, that is until something resembling ice water entered her veins. The suddenness of the sensation caused her to give an involuntary shiver, but the more the familiar sensation spread throughout her body the warmer she felt. With eyes still glued to the sidewalk, she blinked as her shadow gave a subtle wave and her body began moving almost on its own. Looking out the corner of her eye, Ruby realized she was matching Blake step for step as though she were now the faunus' shadow. A warm hand then reached back and pulled her precious hood over her face, and three different yet inseparable feeling auras wrapped around her so that she lost herself momentarily in them.

Her head turned on its own to face her partner, who again had quietly reached into her dust pouch, and whose radiant smile would've been invisible to _anyone_ but herself. With the unseen flick of the heiress' wrist, Crescent Rose activated and Ruby's lethargic limbs moved without her volition as though she were a puppet and Blake her puppet master. She caught the rifle with ease and began twirling it until an unfurled, six foot scythe landed graceful on her shoulders. She tried not to let her surprise show, but then realized it didn't matter with her hood down.

Again her teammates flared their auras and marched through the legion of future huntsmen as though they didn't exist, and who had all gone quiet. Their eyes no longer felt assaulting to the caped-girl, in fact she couldn't feel them at all despite every single one of them looking through the girl of unparalleled beauty, Yang Xiao Long. The richest girl in all of Remnant, Weiss Schnee. And the mysterious girl in black who rarely if ever said a word, Blake Belladonna.

All they could see was little Ruby Rose, the faceless prodigy that was supposedly as unmatched in tenacity as she was in skill and strategic cunning. Having just turned fifteen shortly before school began, she was by far the youngest leader in Beacon's illustrious history and had already led her team to hell and back. And it would seem the rumors of her hideous injuries were either overblown or she was frighteningly resilient as she looked willing to make sure none of her team's competition even made it to the tournament herself. Most were willing to agree with the latter, and those that had gotten a glimpse of the intensity in her silver eyes or focused too closely on the newly sharpened Crescent Rose were finding it difficult to breath.

Feeling her friends' unbridled confidence and pride flowing through her, and the weapon across her shoulders that was like family, Ruby forgot about her feet and her other aches, and the agony of every step was replaced with purpose, no longer having to rely on Blake's aura for reinforcement of her limbs. She felt her face become passive as it always did before battle, and suddenly the world around her dissolved into nothing.

She continued down the path but it wasn't until her hood was lifted that she noticed training had resumed, and at a much more hectic pace than she remembered.

"Good job, sis." Yang ruffled her damp hair, taking deep breaths. "I doubt Jaune will be the only one wetting his bed tonight."

Ruby blushed as emotion returned to her while Blake and Weiss clasped her shoulders lightly, both also out of breath and wiping away sweat. Blake looked especially tired as manifesting her shadow in such a manner was something she was still practicing and had a long way to go before she perfected. And expending that much aura wasn't something she was accustomed to even in combat much less that quickly.

"There's nothing more terrifying than a fifteen-year-old dolt with a six foot gardening tool." Weiss winked, and the faunus nodded in agreement. "Just take our word for it. And I assure you that the stories about our mission aren't half as crazy as you are."

Her face continued to redden, and just as she was about to chide her friends for wasting their aura she noticed four students training off to themselves almost as respect and who had only briefly paused to acknowledge them before getting back to sparring. And at a pace even Ruby had difficulty following.

Team CFVY. Third years. A team without blemish and virtually everyone's favorite to win the Vytal Festival. They were celebrates as far as their fellow students were concerned, but their latest triumphant return from a nearly four week mission hadn't received the pageantry they'd gotten accustomed to. They had captured a rogue scientist from Merlot Industries, who up until a few months ago had been Vale's most wanted criminal. Instead they had been welcomed by a city full of Grimm, which they reportedly had reduced by nearly two thousand. But of course nobody was talking about them...

Their leader, Coco Adel, was the only daughter of world famous fashion designers that were rivals and occasional business partners of the Schnee Dust Company's clothing outlets. And since their father's hated each other, it had only been natural for she and the heiress of the SDC to become fast friends and occasional shopping comrades that tried to out do each other. But just because she was outfitted in the most fashionable and expensive clothes her family's company had to offer, with her beret and aviator sunglasses being her trademark, Coco was first and foremost a warrior born to lead.

The chocolate haired girl wore a bandolier as the strap for her oversized handbag, which thanks to the finest Atlesian engineering contained her faithfully destructive mini-gun. She once bragged that the weapon had cost her parents over ten thousand lien and engineers several hundred man hours to complete, but Ruby knew that wasn't _entirely_ true as it was actually just based on an AA-14 scout ship turret, which was relatively light but highly effective at Grimm control. But while someone as petite and wiry as Ruby could barely carry the weapon much less be reasonably accurate with it, Coco at just a hair taller than her sister was nearly just as strong and could fire the mini-gun with ease and accuracy that made even the prodigy blush.

Squaring off with her in vicious-looking hand to hand combat was her partner Fox Alistair. A redheaded Vacuon blind from birth, he could _see_ the world clearly due to projecting his powerful aura almost like sonar. His absolute mastery of aura manipulation allowed him to seemingly copy and use his opponents strengths against them, or augment his teammates' already formidable arsenal. Like most other upperclassmen, Fox was also a student aid, occasionally assisting Professor Goodwitch and instructing younger students on how to use their auras for more than just combat. Such as healing minor injuries of their teammates without being an aura match, or using their connection with each other to know their _exact_ position on the battlefield and current situation even while blindfolded. Although quiet, he was a natural in the classroom, and had taken students like Ren under his wing who like himself generally preferred aura manipulation over weapons and semblances for combat.

Next was Velvet Scarlatina, a rabbit faunus that practiced a rather _unorthodox_ form of summoning glyphs. A method that Weiss admitted was mildly clever, but considered it inferior and almost a mockery to classical traditionalists like herself. Using a specialized camera, Velvet could create holographic projections of anything she photographed, like weapons for example, and using her unconventional glyphs could animate them with aura to use herself. Weiss wasn't aware if she could use elementals like she could, or create any glyph other than _counterfeit_ summons, but conceded that to do such a strenuous task properly meant the upperclassman's aura was likely more powerful than her's would ever become. She also had to admit that her ability to mimic fighting styles and quickly master any weapon as she did meant she was the _perfect_ support fighter for her teammates, and probably put her in the same league as her prodigious partner who always marveled at the rare sight of Velvet's glyphs, but always with a sad smile.

In private Yang had said this was because her little sister had never actually gotten the chance to see Summer in her prime, only heard stories. Her mother hadn't just been an expert at aura manipulation, but also _traditional_ summoning glyphs that she used in a similar manner to Velvet. After realizing why her partner appreciated glyph practitioners and generally seemed to admire them so much, she vowed to bite her tongue about the _fake_ summoning used by the rabbit faunus. And that someday she'd show her something that would truly make her marvel.

But despite Weiss' clear distaste for _substitute_ glyphs, she did enjoy their short conversations together before heading to the mall with a limitless credit card and Coco. Velvet was kind and always very polite, but due to her meekness and childlike appearance she was often mistaken for a freshman and targeted as easy prey. It didn't help that she was an aid in Professor Oobleck's history class, and was usually forced to sit in with the freshman as the professor could do the job of ten aids even with one hand tightly clutching his thermos. In actuality however, she was the oldest member of her team by almost a month, and instead of sending bullies to the hospital like she easily could've, she preferred a non-confrontational approach in letting them realize their horrible mistake on their own. Namely in seeing her partner...

Standing against her and absorbing every single one of her brutal strikes was the mountain of a young man named Yatsuhashi Daichi. He had gotten the nickname _'Ursa Minor'_ due to his immense size and unfathomable strength, and the only reason he wasn't referred to as the _'Ursa Major'_ was because that reportedly had been his father's title during his time in the Atlesian military before retiring in the east with his family.

The twenty-year-old giant was arguably Beacon's most dominant student, but without question its most intimidating force. In the Vytal Festival two years prior, after they had mowed through four matches in the team and doubles rounds, his teammates had unanimously nominated him for the single's tournament. He went on to win his next two fights almost flawlessly, but finally fell in a decisive match to a third year Beacon student who would go on to win the entire tournament. To this date it was his only loss, official or otherwise, and during the first week of school the tales of his dominance had peaked the interest a certain blonde freshman who'd been looking to get a little bit of that attention herself.

After catching the Mistralian juggernaut and his team practicing in a training room with dozens of spectators watching, Yang had brashly proclaimed to the world that she could take anything Yatsuhashi could dish out, and sized up the seven foot tall soon-to-be huntsman barely reaching his breastplate, and told him to give it his best shot. Her teammates had tried talking sense into her and the gentle giant had vehemently refused, saying he didn't wish to hospitalize a pretty girl such as herself. But after much goading, and assuring that Signal's favorite party girl was also its strongest, he had drawn his massive orange dust imbued blade that was just as large and menacing as we was, perhaps as a way to call her bluff and scare her away. It hadn't worked. It had only gotten her excited, and to everyone's chagrin and horror caused her to wryly ask if there was any _particular reason_ he wielded such an impressively oversized weapon.

Yatsuhashi had promised to expand his aura outward so that when the blade cut through her gauntlets it wouldn't be fatal or even break skin, which had made the perky girl giggle and promise she wouldn't hold it against him if he somehow managed to scratch the paint. Raising the blade high into the the air, the crushing blow had knocked all nearby students off their feet as the terrifying auras crashed like tidal waves atop of each other. The ground had crumbled leaving a smoking crater where the blonde's was found _still_ standing, albeit on unsteady legs. With a roar she had parried the blade back and caused the startled giant to stumble slightly, which earned her the respect and admiration of the entire school, and broken the ice between the two teams.

Because since that day, Yang was no longer been viewed as a lost beach bunny just looking for a good time or someone who didn't belong with Remnant's finest warriors. Now she was credited as one of Beacon's toughest, but she made it a prerogative to show that her unbelievable toughness and strength did nothing to diminish her femininity, which she was exceedingly proud of and routinely flaunted. She exuded both, something that her admirers and future competition were _very_ well aware of.

What no one but her teammates knew however, was that the second Yang stepped into the locker room without any unfriendly eyes watching her, she had collapsed from exhaustion and had to be carried in secret back to the room where she slept for the rest of the day and most of the next. With just a single strike, Yatsuhashi had completely overwhelmed her semblance and drained her aura, and she'd merely been standing upright out of sheer stubbornness and pride. But since then she had only gotten stronger and better at regulating the damage her semblance absorbed, and had been itching to repay the favor...

Seeing the four upperclassmen train as they did, Ruby couldn't help but feel like a child in comparison and watched in horror as any slim chance they may have had in the tournament was quickly slipping away. _Everyone_ was training but themselves. Even their sister team, JNPR, had requested a private training room for multiple days a week until the tournament, and to no one's surprise the freshman had gotten what they asked for. Pyrrha Nikos could've requested one the larger dorm rooms that upperclassmen got the privilege of residing in, and likely gotten it along with a fully stocked fridge too. Being the combat instructor's clear favorite came with certain privileges, but no one could objectively call it unfair. Beacon's best were expected to be the best, and were nurtured accordingly to someday become legends.

Ruby's breathing stopped as she noticed Coco giving her a slight nod, almost in approval before nearly knocking Fox's head off with a kick so swift it had almost been a blur to her eyes. A familiar sharp pain returned to Ruby's feet as well as her stomach causing her to wince, but her body froze as she realized Yatsuhashi was staring like a statue at her team. His stony eyes seemed to look through herself, Blake, and even Yang, but lingered on the heiress for a moment or two. Even if it had been unintentional, being nearly two feet taller than herself and her partner, and at least two-hundred pounds heavier made his intimidating presence that much more unnerving to the more petite girls. But especially when he was ignoring bone crushing blows from Velvet that made Yang's throat exceedingly dry.

The sisters respectfully may have been the fastest and strongest of the freshmen, but to the upperclassmen they were merely above average. And team CFVY were carving a place for themselves alongside legends...

"I don't feel so good," Ruby said suddenly, the world becoming slightly dim.

Yang quickly grabbed hold of her. "That'd be our aura, sis," she explained, removing the scythe from her shoulders and hooking it back on her belt. "You were Blake's shadow puppet, and Weiss and I used a fair amount too. We basically gave you a _mini_ aura transfer, but since you don't have any left for ours to connect with your body's rejecting it. It gave you a nice little high but it's gone and your coming back down. And if you weren't so used to them you'd probably be puking right now, or worse... Just take deep breaths, or else Weiss is gonna have to do CPR."

"Y'all shouldn't have done that..." she mumbled. "But thank you..."

Yang kissed the top of her head. Since their auras first unlocked as children they had wished they were matches so they could share even more of themselves with each other. But alas Yang had inherited her mom's semblance and their Dad's aura while Ruby had gotten her mom's aura and a nonhereditary semblance. But while Ruby simply wanted their souls to be more in sync than they already were, for Yang it was maddening that she couldn't even _attempt_ to heal her baby sister's injuries. Even for an aura match or expert aura manipulator with as a strong connection as they had, it could be dangerous to heal someone as undeveloped and low on aura as Ruby, but it wouldn't have stopped her from trying. She wasn't even willing to admit what little she and her teammates had done was as stupid as it was reckless. And she didn't really care if it probably didn't help matters.

Her Rubes was suffering every waking moment and even in her sleep. She wasn't getting better, if anything she was getting worse which only made her try to look stronger. Yang felt she only had herself to blame, but at least this way her baby sister got to look like the caped-girl of old again in front of the school and forget about her injuries at least momentarily. And maybe it'd send them back to the room that much quicker without any more damage being done.

"Can we sit down?" Ruby asked, then barely audible. "Please..."

"Lead the way, sis." Yang pushed herself close so the girl could lean on her as they walked. "I hear the school's got a new swing set. I could push you if you'd like. It'd be just like when we were kids with that old tire swing. I think Qrow's still mad that Summer _borrowed_ it from his motorcycle when he wasn't looking."

Ruby didn't respond. Either too exhausted or enjoying her sister's presence too much to care where they went. Weiss and Blake however exchanged nervous glances, and had an argument whether this had been a good idea or not. Eventually though it was decided Yang had the right idea about tying the girl down.

As they walked further up the hill and approached a small grove of trees, Ruby's barely open eyes noticed two students standing alone in the shade, casually eating ice cream while they watched team CFVY train below.

"Hi Emerald." Ruby waved halfheartedly. "Hi Mercury."

The pair glanced over at the team then at each other, possibly wondering who the girl was or how she knew their names. They smiled and waved back politely, but the caped-girl's teammates couldn't help but feel as though she may have interrupted something _private_ between the two. Yang tried veering her sister away but to her surprise the visiting students walked toward them, practically blocking their path.

"Uh, hey there, um..." The Vacuoan girl with green hair and red eyes rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably.

"Rose," the boy with silver locks falling in his eyes finished, noticing the symbol everywhere on her red and black clothes.

"Where'd you get the ice cream!?" Ruby demanded, with Yang smiling ear to ear as though she had won a bet with herself.

The partners blinked at Weiss and Blake who were silently apologizing behind the sisters.

"Just outside the main courtyard." Emerald pointed behind the row of trees where a small crowd had gathered nearby in the neighboring field. "A couple booths have been set up for the festival. They're selling all kinds of sweets and souvenirs."

"Already!?" Ruby raised a brow and followed her finger. "But the tournament isn't for another month! And there isn't even a date yet!"

Emerald smiled awkwardly while Weiss nudged her practically hyperventilating partner's side. "It's called the Vytal Festival, dunce. Emphasis on 'F _estival'._ The kingdom's been celebrating it since the first month of school, and it'll officially end during the fourth years graduation ceremony. How do you live in Vale and not know that? This is your second festival after all."

The caped-girl could only grin sheepishly while her face blushed. "I forgot..."

Yang hugged her sister a little tighter. "Don't worry about it, Rubes. You probably don't remember much about the last time the festival came into town, and it's not like you've been getting out much lately." She turned and gave the heiress a dirty look, whose face turned scarlet as she realized her partner couldn't exactly see this side of the campus from their window's perspective, and how the tournament obviously outshined the actual festival in her eyes.

However, horror struck and Weiss scolded herself for not realizing sooner how old her best friend would've been eight years ago the last time the festival was hosted in Vale. The age she had lost her mother...

The partners caught eyes and a silent apology begging for forgiveness was given, along with a smile that made it clear Ruby could _never_ hold anything against her. Weiss sniffed and made a show of adjusting her partner's hood, stealthily letting out _just_ enough aura to tickle the back of her neck and cause goosebumps to travel down her spine. Watching Ruby's reactions to her chilling aura was a guilty pleasure of sorts, and seeing her fight the shivers and pretend as though she wasn't enjoying the sensation of her body becoming slightly numb only made Weiss ruffle the hood and start again as though she were unsatisfied with its appearance.

"And with everything that's happened, Rubes," the blonde continued, pretending as though she didn't know what the perfectionist was doing or the effect it was having on her sister. "Ozpin thought it'd be a good idea to let the vendors on the campus a little early. Sorry we forgot to tell you."

"That's okay." She gave her a subtle elbow for making Weiss feel bad, and possibly for forgetting, but laid her head against her chest as protective aura wrapped around her, though it was noticeably lukewarm. It wasn't invasive like it had been earlier, trying to strengthen her limbs and dull the pain. This was comforting and like snuggling with a blanket, one that had been made by her sister's soul.

"So where have you guys been?" Yang asked suddenly, her sister barely stirring. "Haven't seen too many Haven students around lately."

"Neptune did just kinda disappear didn't he?" Weiss commented, sounding as though this was her first time thinking about it. "What was his team's name again? And his teammates' names for that matter? Besides your boyfriend's of course. I hear it enough when you talk in your sleep..."

"Moaning more like it," Yang quipped.

"SSSN," Blake answered between her teeth. "S-S-S-N. They're Sage and Scarlet, and they were flown back to Mistral after the breach. Sun, who's _not_ my boyfriend and who I've never dreamed about, messaged me while they were on the airship."

"He ever call just to tell you goodnight?" she asked, winking suggestively. "Or send any pics Rubes isn't allowed to see til she's older? Oh wait, I already know the answer..."

Blake narrowed her eyes but couldn't hide her blush or keep herself from smiling at the sheer approval and pride in her partner's voice. "Those are taken by the school, and they're for recruiting purposes."

"Yeah well sign me up. They're hot as hell, especially the team pics in the locker room, and I'm _definitely_ at the wrong school and on the wrong team..."

Her partner huffed and the blonde ignored the fact that she, and Weiss, practically condemned all the girls that modeled for the school's recruitment magazines, which admittedly were perhaps a _little_ risque, but didn't seem to mind the guys doing the same. They called it objectifying and demeaning of the school to take advantage of lower income girls, but Yang called it paying for tuition and having some fun. And in her mind having been raised in a huntsman family, it was a recruitment method that the lesser academies _desperately_ needed to help fill their ranks.

"Naming a team after its leader isn't very creative if you ask me," Weiss said, glancing over at Ruby who took a few seconds to understand what she was inferring.

"I would've pronounced it team _'Sin'_ personally." Yang grinned. "That's all you and Blake think about when you're around Neptune and Sun anyway. And I'm sure Sage and Scarlet have similar thoughts and could be _fun_ too..." She glanced down at the dark, red-highlighted hair. "Rubes, do as your big sis says and not as she does. You can have _fun_ when you're older, and when I'm dead."

"You sound like Dad," she wined.

"Alright fine. You can't have _fun_ unless it's the best _fun_ anyone having _fun_ ever had in the entire wonderful history of having _fun_. And then we immediately have to have girl talk and you have to share in _detail_ exactly how much _fun_ you had."

"Deal. What kinda _fun_ are we talking about?" It seemed she may have tuned them out while fantasizing about ice cream.

"Don't worry about it, sis." She ruffled her hair happy she didn't have anything to worry about for seemingly another decade or two. "Weiss will explain it to you later, but if not I'm pretty sure Blake's got one or two hundred books you could borrow. And I've always got videos we can watch."

"Yay! Movie night! I'll get the popcorn and chocolate syrup!"

Emerald stared blankly at the four girls, seeming not knowing who or _what_ any of them were talking about. That is until she recalled the magazine and _exact_ page number of the boys locker room shoot titled _'Campus Life'_. "Wait! You mean the guy with a tail who doesn't know how to button a shirt right?!" From her tone it didn't seem she minded much either.

Blake nodded, though it seemed she couldn't decide whether to be embarrassed or defensive, so she settled somewhere in between. "Actually, Sun ripped the buttons off so the teachers would stop asking him to."

"Smart move," she said in a husky tone, with Yang purring in agreement. "And good going girl. He's not bad at all to look at for being a... well you know."

The team grew quiet and nervously looked toward Blake as she stared at the girl with a cool expression. "For being a what?"

"For a freshman..." Emerald laughed, then addressed them all. "Visiting students normally get flown back and forth between kingdoms every couple of weeks, especially Shade and Haven's. Neither of us can really afford to be missing hundreds huntsmen for too long, even if we are still are in-training, so we rotate each other out. Just earlier this year there was a pretty big Grimm uprising in western Mistral, and we're lucky none of the villages were wiped out, this time. The four of us actually caught the tail end of it..."

"Sounds exhausting," Weiss said, while the pale-faced blonde swallowed something bitter down her throat at the way she had emphasized the _four_ of them _._ And Ruby either sensing her sister's discomfort or understanding what Emerald had just said about western Mistral leaned in closer.

"It is," Mercury cut in, a humorous curl on his lip, "and in two years you'll be doing the same thing when the tournament is held in Mistral."

"Looking forward to it because we're gonna win there too!" Ruby shouted.

"We're just trying to enjoy the festival as best we can," he laughed, staring at the caped-girl, "but unfortunately we're under a lot of security now. Can you believe someone actually broke into the CCT and tried to blow it up? All those poor soldiers..."

Ruby bit her lip and slowly shook her head. Ozpin had kept her involvement with the incident quiet, and she wished to keep it that way. As far anyone nosy enough was concerned, she had been walking around the CCT the night of the dance when the top floor of the CCT exploded, and she twisted her ankle trying to run away in her _'stupid lady stilts'_. Razor sharp, heated glass rained down shredding her skin, and she had merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time and lucky to be alive.

Seeing the uncomfortable looks the team was giving one another, the green haired girl smiled reassuringly.

"We love your school though. Vale is beautiful and full of the nicest people," she gushed. "Mercury took me on a walk through Forever Fall awhile back, and it's just as romantic as the poets make it out to be."

The sisters grinned, happy to hear their kingdom being praised and even Weiss and Blake seemed to share their partners' pride toward the place they now called home.

"And we're really sorry for what happened." Mercury shook his head. "It's terrible what that maniac and the White Fang did to it."

Their eyes fell to the ground and an awkward silence fell between the two teams only to be interrupted again by Mercury shifting his weight, which was unusually loud due to his metal boots.

"Say, how about you girls get some ice cream? My treat."

"Really!?" Ruby's eyes widened.

Weiss was suddenly reminded of all the times she had said something similar to the girl. Literally paying her to go away and stop bothering her, and suddenly felt embarrassed and ashamed. "Thank you, but we could never accept."

Blake nodded while Yang went so far as to lift her hands up as if pushing the thought out of her mind.

"Ice cream has been ruined for the rest of my life," she said sounding slightly nauseated. "At least on trains rides..."

Mercury took an expert lick of his and grinned, his eager eyes lingering on the blonde's figure. "That's too bad. We're practically addicts now. Lolita, our teammate, she can't get enough of the stuff."

Emerald's red eyes that were common among native Vacuoans lit up, and she moved to her partner's other side keeping an arm wrapped around his waist as if to remind him she was still there. "Neapolitan is her favorite."

Yang's face soured and paled while Ruby bounced on the balls of her feet, which were barely touching the ground at this point.

"I love all kinds," she stated earnestly. "But where's Lolita? I don't think I've ever seen her. Or her partner now that I think about it."

Emerald turned to her partner nervously who gave the girl a curious look. "She died on a mission," he answered bluntly. "So it's just the three of us now."

Ruby covered her mouth fighting back tears as her teammates perhaps subconsciously moved closer together, and Yang's arm tightened around her while the other played with her highlights.

"We're sorry for your loss." Weiss lowered her head in respect as was the custom in Mistral and her teammates followed suit. Though, the thought of being the lucky guy on a team with three girls did briefly pop into the blonde's mind, which it and its inverse wasn't allowed at Beacon. _Unfortunately_.

"Lolita's shy and mostly keeps to herself these days," Emerald murmured, her eyes sparkling as she looked directly at the caped-girl, who was strangely staring where she'd formerly been standing even while she spoke. "She still hasn't gotten over what happened, and neither have we really, but I guess no one would. You're all freshmen but I'm sure you know what that bond's like by now." They nodded and wrapped an arm around each other. "Seeing the two of us together probably doesn't help. We try to be her partners now, but she's been feeling lonely a lot lately, and so she's visiting her..." She trailed off trying to think of the word.

"Uncle," her partner finished. "If you can really call him that. He's in jail, and she spends most of her free time visiting him."

"Way to stick _both_ of your feet in your mouth," Weiss breathed, semi-impressed with her partner but still feeling a painful sense of loss in her chest. If she lost her Ruby... She didn't even want to think about it.

"I'm sorry..." The caped-girl looked up with misty eyes, but _again_ she stared into thin air which caught Blake's eye.

"What'd he do?" Yang asked curiously, receiving duel slaps to the back of her head. "I mean... if Lolita wouldn't mind-"

"Stealing women's underwear," he answered dryly, causing the scarlet faced girls to blink, shift their weight uncomfortably, cough, and clear their throats. "Then wearing them out the store. He's not a handsome man, and pink _isn't_ his color. And it wasn't his first time..."

Yang did her absolute best not to lose it, going so far as to hide under her mane before she finally cracked. "Been there, done that! WAY different reaction though!" She raised a hand looking for high-fives that wasn't there, momentarily letting go of her sister in the process. "Pssh, that was funny."

"That's because the store probably saw you as free advertising," Weiss muttered, trying not to laugh.

"People would totally pay me to wear their clothes," the blonde whispered to herself as if having an epiphany.

" _I'll_ pay for you to wear clothes if that's what it takes. But I honestly wouldn't have guessed you'd consider putting clothes _on_ for money before of taking them _off_..."

"So about that ice cream?" Just as Mercury had spoken, the caped-girl lurched forward only to plow directly into Emerald, sending them both sprawling on the concrete.

"RUBY!" Weiss cried. "Watch where you're going!"

"Are you okay Emerald?" Mercury asked, squatting on the ground. She grimaced but quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. My ice cream's not though." Luckily it hadn't landed on either of them, but the sidewalk had been painted a minty green color.

Ruby stared, pointing back and forth between the fallen girl and the other side of the boy where she had been standing earlier. Weiss knelt down checking on her, and Ruby turned to Blake who watched impassively, slowly moving her eyes back and forth as if trying to see something that wasn't there.

"But- I- She- How- What?!"

"Way to go, Rubes." Yang carefully helped her sister to their feet and patted the dust off her while Mercury did the same for the other girl, who was now holding her head as though she had a migraine. "You didn't hit your head did you?" she asked worriedly, studying the girl for any hint of a knot or bruise.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy."

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" Ruby seeing the ice cream on the ground looked as though she had committed an unpardonable sin worthy of death. "I'm so sorry! I'll buy you another one! With five scoops! Pistachio right!?"

She wrestled away from her sister and took off again, which was painful to watch but was held back by her cape.

"Don't worry about it, but I think you'll be needing this." Emerald held out her hand and she jumped.

"My wallet! How-"

"You must've dropped it," she laughed.

Ruby stared at the rose symbol on her wallet wishing nothing more than to go back to the dorm and hide under her hood.

"Thanks..."

"Why don't we go get you some ice cream, sis." Yang ruffled her hair and resumed their embrace from earlier.

"Before you choke on your tongue," Weiss added only semi-seriously. Uncharacteristically, Ruby didn't say a word as she was led away practically being carried. It seemed she had given up on her earlier goal of proving to them and herself that she could walk a lap around the school. "Coming Blake?"

The girl in black nodded, and brushing past Emerald bent over to retrieve something off the ground.

"Looks like you dropped something too," she said in a flat voice.

Emerald's mouth fell open and her now dull eyes widened, and Mercury's breath seemed to catch at the sight of the tiny brass object with a red devilish face on the side.

"My lighter!" she cried, her body freezing as Blake held it up for a closer inspection.

The others turned and Ruby cocked her head to the side. "Is it just me or does that look kinda familiar?"

She scratched the back of her neck in thought and her teammates said the same.

"Probably," Mercury said coolly. "It's from a circus that closed down a few years ago. _'Perry Winkle's... something or another'_."

"I've heard of them," Yang said. "That was the circus Dad and Summer took us to when we were kids, Rubes." She glanced up at the boy. "Wasn't there some kind of accident with the fireworks? I remember it being a big deal at the time."

"Yeah, a lot of people got caught in it. The cops thought it might've been arson but there wasn't any proof. Emerald and I were actually lucky enough to see them on one of their last tours of Mistral. They were great. Before Perry died and the place burned up, they supposedly they had some of the best acrobats in the world."

"They had _the_ best," Weiss corrected emphatically, then seeing everyone staring she glanced down and kicked at the sidewalk. "I never got to see them myself, and I suppose I never will now, but being a gymnast I can appreciate a good acrobatics show. And elephants..."

"I can't..." Yang muttered under her breath. "At least not on trains..." She shook her head and started walking off. "Come on, Rubes. Let's get you some ice cream and head back to the room."

"It was nice seeing you two again." She waved, with her sister and Weiss saying their goodbyes as well.

Blake had been quiet throughout the conversation, but handed the lighter back before saying a brief farewell and turning to follow her leader, who hollered as she was lifted onto her sister's back for an impromptu piggy back ride.

"I'll get you another ice cream, Emerald!"

"Don't worry about it!" she called back, watching as the younger sister attempted to choke the life out of the elder with no success.

Once the team was behind the trees and out of earshot, Mercury stomped over. "That was entertaining and a _nice_ trip down memory lane, but you need to hold onto your stuff better," he growled. "Next time you could screw everything up, and Cinder _won't_ be happy..."

 _*twitch*_

Emerald glanced at her ammo belt in disbelief. "It m-must've fallen out."

The pair stood in silence listening as a sing-song voice filled the air.

" _I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!_ ".

"Ruby!" her partner screeched. "If you eat that you're going to be sick. I'm getting sick just looking at it, and you still have Professor Oobleck's field report to write!"

"Yang! Let me down! You're gonna make it melt! Then it's gonna get in your hair and you're gonna get mad and kill Weiss!"

"Me? Why me?"

"You want me to go down the list, princess? How about for starters calling me a heavyweight and calling _these_ inflatable! Hey, you over there! This _is_ a nice pullover thank you for noticing! Do _these_ look inflatable to you? Didn't think so!"

The pair continued to argue while the girl in black stayed quiet, perhaps unable to get a word in or simply had words of even less value to contribute. Mercury leaned toward the latter personally. He smiled and turned to his partner who was still in disbelief.

"I guess you don't have anything to worry about. They're even dumber than we thought. The princess might have the top grades in her class but she's about as dense as the bimbo blonde if you ask me. _'Team Daddy Issues'_ as I like to call them."

"I thought you liked girls with daddy issues," she muttered airily, still staring at the lighter.

"They're all a little too touchy-feely for my tastes. And the emo girl with the dorky looking bow seems about as interesting to talk to as that rock over there. That Sun guy can do a _lot_ better than her. He's probably using her some _fun_ while he's in town, or he's trying to get _touchy-feely_ with her perky friend. Blondie seems like the type who'd go behind her best friend's back and steal her guy, but what she lacks in brains and virtue she more than makes up for in _other_ areas. It's just too bad _Lolita_ called first dibs. I wouldn't have minded having my own kind of _fun_ with her.."

He turned toward the row of trees and spied out the annoying red cape fluttering in the wind. "But they're not important right now. You get an idea of what someone's mind's like when you use your semblance. What all did you see in the village idiot's head? Seems like a pretty spacious place from the looks of it..."

Emerald's eyes softened as she watched the young girl stand on the tips of her toes as the ice cream vendor handed her a cone with half a dozen scoops of all different colors. From there she led her team a little ways before her legs seemingly just gave out beneath her and she fell gracelessly onto her rear with everyone rushing to her side.

"Just the opposite..." Mercury turned to look at her. "Her aura shield's down but it's like her brain was so full of junk that I couldn't get a very good read on her. There's a lot of darkness in her though, and I mean a _lot._ But she's happy, and it's almost disgusting how much she loves those idiots. Even with everything trying to pull her down she's still optimistic and believes the best in people."

His smile turned wicked and he watched as the team gathered around their leader as if having a picnic. "Well, in about another month, that's all going to change. Her little fairy tale isn't going to end well..."

 _*twitch*_

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.** **First I just want to say that "Lolita" is indeed Neo and the name is inspired by her "Gothic Lolita" outfit/disguise from Volume 3, and that you should probably take everything Emerald and Mercury say with a grain of salt. There's some truth in what they say, but for now that's for you to piece together and decide. Torchwick stealing ladies underwear and his fascination with naming people "Perry" for example. I also wanted to explain in this chapter that there's a difference between "sharing aura" and "transferring aura". Transferring has its uses but it's like a big band-aid that eventually falls off and doesn't necessarily _fix_ the problem. And as we've seen, sometimes has unforeseen complications.**

 **I also just want to thank everyone for reading "The Patchwork Prodigy", which has been very character driven rather than by its story. I fell in love with RWBY because of its characters, and I wanted to write a story with them and their relationship(s) at the forefront. I want you to love team RWBY like they love each other, and I want you to feel comforted by their triumphs in tragedy together. I'm sorry that I don't always respond to your kind reviews, but please know that I deeply appreciate each of them, and I appreciate each and every single one of you.**

 **If you have enjoyed reading "The Petals Scatter Now", "The Patchwork Prodigy", my interpretations of team RWBY, and/or just want to read another story about teenage girls killing monsters, then you may enjoy my newest story "Remnant's of Salvation". It's heavily inspired by RWBY and Supernatural, and you'll likely find some similarities between it and this story. It's main characters have actually served as the main inspiration for my interpretations of Yang, Ruby, and Weiss for quite some time now, and it's probably fair to say all of team RWBY are fairly different from their show counterparts at this point. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for making this dream come true.**

 **I want to make it clear though that will _NOT_ be abandoning "The Patchwork Prodigy". Updates will be infrequent, as they have as of late, but the story will continue. Honestly it's possible you won't notice a difference. I'm terribly sorry with how this story has been sluggish with its updates, but it honestly can't be helped. Writing has become a great passion of mine, and this is a story that the Lord has blessed me with that I feel I must pursue. I hope my love and respect for Monty Oum's creation speaks for itself, because I carry that same love for "Remnants of Salvation". Thank you, Monty, and thank you readers. I wouldn't be where I am without the Lord blessing me with you.**

 **As always,** **thank you for your incredible support as well as for all of the followers, favorites, positive reviews, PMs, shout outs, and humble readers.** **All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

A Class Act

* * *

 **(A/N: This chapter was very nearly cut from the original outline, but because I enjoyed writing it so much I thought you may enjoy as well. Just please keep in mind that it's much more of a comedic chapter than perhaps you're used to from me. Also, don't forget to check out Chapter 2 of "Remnants of Salvation" which I just updated. We get to meet Sarah's sister for the first time, and they have a relationship _very_ reminiscent of our favorite crazy sisters. I hope you enjoy. God bless)**

* * *

The first tedious day back to school was coming to an end, and anxious students sat at their desks looking slightly uncomfortable to be back in their uniforms again, but at the same time relieved to be in a familiar setting. Since the breaching of the City of Vale, every man, woman, and child had been on high alert, but especially those training to be future huntsmen who were looking for any excuse to shoot, stab, or smash something.

For the time being, teachers were turning a blind eye to the students carrying their weapons to class, so long as they were less conspicuous than say a sniper-scythe or grenade-hammer. The teachers being former or part-time huntsmen themselves weren't any better of course, as Professor Port had spent the entire day carrying his blunder-ax over his shoulder while recounting tales of valor and the countless times he had ridden shirtless into battle to save thankful young maidens. He even asked students to take a whiff of his a special, and potent, _'Grimm repellent'_ , which when questioned about he merely stated that hyenas were fascinating creatures and offered to share his supply with the class. They had wisely declined.

Unlike his colleague and rather unlike himself, Professor Oobleck had not been in a talkative mood this day. All class period he had sat at his large, disorderly desk buried underneath a pile of folders that he graded in a frenzy, only occasionally pausing to take a sip from his thermos which had apparently been repaired. The man had been skinny as a rail before the mission to the lost city, but since returning he had lost considerable weight and was even more disheveled looking than normal. Rumor was he had been found half-dead after the battle due courageously engaging an Alpha Deathstalker by himself, which was later finished off by the Atlesian military with the assistance of a group of freshmen.

The old by definition huntsman seemed to carry all his years of service with him this day, which was sobering to all his students. He had completely retired from active duty at the end of his first tour, and now his only field work came from field trips or supervising an occasional freshman mission. After retiring he had earned two doctorates and was only a recent addition to Beacon's staff, but despite being a young man by the rest of the world's standards, he was an grizzled veteran in the eyes of the students, and it was days like today where his relatively _brief_ time with the huntsmen seemingly caught up with him. And he self-admittedly was one of the luckiest to have walked away with their life.

Whenever his movements would begin to slow he'd take a quick sip from his thermos, causing his blue eyes to light up momentarily, or sometimes flicker with a hint of yellow or perhaps gold. The contents of his beverages were as suspect as ever among the students who debated endlessly what could be mixed with his drinks, but the only person privy to that information was too busy sharing a seat with Nora, coloring together and far too distracted to notice anything happening around her.

Sitting beside the bubbly pair, Weiss was diligently filing her nails _still_ disgusted with their state even after several weeks since breaking them. The road to recovery was long and painful, and while she now only had a faint bruise from where the King Taijitu's fang had sunken deep into her flesh and broken her left arm, the heiress wasn't sure if she'd ever get over the trauma of having imperfect cuticles.

To her right, Blake turned the page of her novel ignoring the battles happening in the front of the room and off to the side. Not even Yang's snoring, which seemed to start in her toes and only grow stronger from there, could bother her after all these months together, and if she ever got too loud the faunus would nudge her causing the roar to die down at least momentarily.

Drool had puddled by her chin as she lay unconscious, hiding beneath her blonde mane and occasionally moaning softly in her sleep. Weiss had originally be assigned to sit beside her as possibly some kind of cruel joke by the professor, but because that hadn't ended well and under _NO_ circumstances were the sisters allowed to sit beside each other ever again, Blake had been chosen as the sacrificial buffer between her partner and teammates, and all hell breaking loose.

She wasn't sure who'd try to kill who first, only that someday she'd have the left side of her body frozen in a block of ice and the other burnt to a crisp like one of her partner's dinners. After she was shot by friendly fire courtesy of her leader of course, who she'd steal occasional glances at to make sure she was doing alright.

The caped-girl had woken this morning in high spirits unlike her teammates, but it had been on their way to their third class together that Cardin _accidentally_ stepped on her right foot in the hallway. If an over two hundred pound boy had stepped on her foot, Blake was certain she would've screamed, and she was positive Ruby would've as well if it hadn't been caught on the back of her throat. It was a wonder her foot or at least a toe hadn't been broken being as petite as she was, but Blake suspected that had more to do with her padded boots and socks and having her feet tightly wrapped in bandages.

Cardin had been carrying a grudge against the girl since the very first day of combat training when she trounced him in under a minute, but Blake believed stepping on her foot may have been an honest to God accident as no one was stupid enough to harm little Ruby Rose when her big sis was nearby, who proceeded to _accidentally_ punch him in the face. Weiss and Blake had then carried their leader to their next class when she refused to go to the infirmary to have her foot x-rayed. Instead, with a sniffle and biting of her quivering lip, she loosened her boot to relieve the pressure presumably due to swelling. The only help she would allow were her partner's ice glyphs to numb at least some of the discomfort, something she would only do if she were in _severe_ pain, and an occasional hand getting up or a shoulder to lean on while walking.

With her baby sister in good hands, Yang had moved through the gathered crowd and gone down to the locker room to wash up, and also to retrieve her black fingerless combat gloves. Blake knew it had been her own blood she'd washed off, and that she was wearing the gloves because she had busted her knuckles and didn't want anyone else to notice. Normally Cardin would've been knocked out and his face unrecognizable, but sitting across the room he was merely sporting a swollen lip and bruised cheek due to the much smaller girl _barely_ breaking through his aura shield. And he must've either thought it'd been a warning punch or realized he'd been in the wrong as he had muttered an apology to the caped-girl before walking away.

Blake suspected that was partially why her partner was so exhausted, having used a substantial amount of her power just to get payback for her precious sister and remind everyone not to lay a finger on her. Especially right now...

Her baby sister's injuries were improving, albeit slowly, but her bruised black feet with burns and reminders of having been shredded by glass were still gruesome, and made her friends nauseous whenever they forced her to unveil them for inspection. It was a wonder she could even walk.

"Nora, do you ever think the moon looks like a giant cookie?"

"Every night," she answered breathlessly, sounding as though the younger girl might've been reading her mind. "Which colors look tastiest to you?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Weiss momentarily paused in her filing. "Ruby, if you're considering what I _know_ you are, I will personally burn every single one of your coloring books and snap each of your crayons in half."

The pair looked at the Ice Queen in horror before quietly going back to coloring, giving each other sneaky glances having already made their dinner plans.

Yang let out another moan, then mumbled something about a _yin of Yangs_ before turning her head over _._

Forgetting about her book, Blake briefly daydreamed about what having non-dysfunctional teammates would be like, something that was as intriguing as it was dreadful to think about. Wondering if the grass was simply greener on the other side, she turned her attention to Jaune and Pyrrha sitting in the seats directly in front. They were quietly going over their training regimen for the week which the faunus couldn't help from overhearing. She honestly didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she would've been lying if she hadn't learned _something_ from the four time Mistral regional champion since becoming friends. Blake had never received what Weiss liked to call _proper_ training with Gambol Shroud, and whether Pyrrha knew it or not she was a fountain of knowledge. While Ruby naturally gravitated toward her Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe's limitless versatility, and Weiss improving her technique and swordsmanship with her katana, Pyrrha Nikos had inadvertently taught the faunus something just as if not more important. How to combat someone who had earned the title of _'The Invincible Girl'_ _._

They had sparred together at least half a dozen times in Professor Goodwitch's class, but to this date the only two to land even grazing blows were the sisters. Pyrrha wasn't as technical with a blade as Weiss, or as strategic as Ruby, and wasn't quite as powerful as Yang. But unlike them, Pyrrha had no foreseeable flaws to exploit and was just as deadly guarding behind her shield as she was with her multipurpose sword, spear, and rifle. Blake had learned how to overwhelm an opponent thanks to her leader, how to be a defensive wall with Weiss' _proper_ training, and how to incorporate aura thanks to her partner's counter-striker mentality. She had adopted all their fighting styles into her own making herself something of a jack of all trades, an essential for a support fighter. But Pyrrha could do it all and more effortlessly, and now _'The Invincible Girl'_ was tutoring her partner first hand who was physically stronger and whose aura levels were nearing the top ten of the class. Jaune was getting stronger with each passing week, and as he'd proven during the breach, he was also learning how to be an effective leader directly from a prodigious young girl whose spontaneous battle strategies were second to none. And then there was still their teammates to consider as well...

Swallowing, Blake turned and her eyes nearly passed over Ren, who despite looking as though he hadn't slept in weeks was staring intently at the madman grading papers, patiently waiting for him to finish.

She almost felt ashamed for ignoring the only other classmate she considered to be as normal as herself, especially because of how often the same was done to her. She had found a kindred spirit in the Mistralian early in the first semester as they were both of few words and always carried a book to read, and preferred the attention being passed their unruly and boisterous partners. And _his_ was the leading suspect for the cause of his exhaustion, which only fueled Yang's imagination of what their sister team could be doing so late even on school nights. Blake personally tried not to dwell on such things, or so she said.

Looking past the heiress, Blake spied Ruby and the girl who had tried smuggling a grenade launcher into class sharing a seat together and giggling. Despite them both being deceptively muscular and Nora a little stocky, they were small enough for the cushioned chair to comfortably sit them both while they colored at the same frantic pace as Oobleck graded the field reports.

 _'They're almost normal compared to us,'_ she laughed to herself, half wishing she was as petite and less lanky.

It was often believed that people with their auras unlocked were naturally more quirky due to wearing their souls on their sleeves. It meant every emotion was stronger and _'being yourself with the volume turned up'_ as her partner sagely put it. But for huntsmen in-training, it meant sharing those emotions as well as the most intimate parts of yourself with those closest to you, and glancing at her teammates, Blake knew she could never trade even their most irksome quirks for an ounce of sanity.

"F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D!" Ruby and Nora cried, with Oobleck slamming the last folder down and joining them.

Okay, perhaps an ounce or two wouldn't hurt...

Everyone in the room jumped out of their seats and several weapons were drawn as if the classroom had been suddenly invaded by hoards of Grimm, but calmly everyone sat back down and concealed their weapons once more.

Just as Blake tucked Gambol Shroud back into her hidden thigh holster and smoothed out her skirt, and Weiss placed her dust crystals back into her purse, Yang raised her head and wiped the drool off her chin.

"What'd I miss?" she yawned, having a serious case of pillow head which was the mane's basic function in class.

The monochrome pair glanced at one another sharing the same thought with the only other member of the team they considered _somewhat_ sensible.

 _'They're all insane!'_ They turned to Ren who hadn't even flinched at the outburst. _'And maybe him most of all...'_

"Okay, class!" Oobleck said quickly, taking another sip. "I have finished grading your first official huntsman field reports, and I must say that I am most pleased."

Nervous students wiped their brows while others gave each other high fives, or in Ruby and Nora's case, spin their seat around with their hands in the air as though they were on a theme park ride.

"With most of you..." The professor adjusted his spectacles and subtly turned his attention to the blond boy sitting directly in front of Blake, who she could hear whimpering.

Starting with the bottom row, Oobleck began passing back folders while making comments to each of the students, and since team RWBY sat in the last row they had to watch as the pile dwindled down.

"Well done, the both of you," the professor said to Pyrrha and Ren to absolutely no one's surprise.

Stepping to the side he glanced down at the blond knight.

 _*gulp*_

"Mr. Arc, I'm afraid you'll be needing to rewrite yours. I expect much more from team leaders, and I'll remind you that this will go down as your _first_ official huntsman report."

Jaune groaned as he saw his grade. "But you made me rewrite the last paper five times."

"And it would've been six but I was feeling generous and took pity on you."

The boy laid his head on the table causing many in the class to laugh at his embarrassment while his partner to rubbed his back and assured him it'd be alright. This made most of the condescending laughter die down as not only could she make them each regret they were ever born the next time Professor Goodwitch needed sparring partners, but having a girlfriend as beautiful and comforting as her made the guys envious rather than amused. Especially considering the partners shared both a bedroom and locker room together, and the knowing grin she was sharing with the class only served to fuel their imagination.

"Miss Valkyrie!" Oobleck shouted.

"Yes, sir!" She saluted, the chair finally coming to a halt.

Everyone cringed as he adjusted his glasses again and frowned.

"THIS IS ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY!"

From the corner of her eye, Blake caught Jaune slamming his head against the desk but her attention was quickly brought back to the professor flipping through the girl's report, where at the bottom of the page an extremely detailed and animated Ursa was crushed by a familiar looking hammer before sprouting wings and being ridden into the sky.

As Ruby and Nora did another victory spin, Oobleck stepped to the side in front of Blake and handed over a black folder

"Well done, miss Belladonna. However..." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I expect you to be a little more _truthful_ in your next report. The only eyes who'll be reading this are already privy to your situation, as well as your previous _employment_."

She glanced at the grade then back at the professor wearing a mask of indifference. Content and not promising anything as he turned his attention to her partner.

Oobleck shook his head which caused the blonde to lean forward earnestly. Passing over a yellow folder, she opened it and was instantly deflated.

"I wasn't going to give you the satisfaction, miss Xiao Long." He pointed at the _'70'_ written in red ink, as well as a scribbled out number and a _'+1 for effort and mildly humorous puns'_.

Yang's eye twitched and she turned to her partner with a broken look that matched her broken spirit.

"I was so close..." she murmured, her lip quivering. "So close..."

"I know, Yang." Blake laid the girl's head on her shoulder and ran a hand through her hair. "You worked hard, probably harder than all of us put together, and you'll get it next time."

Again, some of the students laughed but were quickly hushed. The memory of Cardin's _accident_ was still fresh in their minds, and half the class would've _killed_ to be the blonde's roommate and bunk buddy. Something that Yang savored throwing in the guys' faces whenever ever made the mistake of being rude to her best friend, which greatly irritated Blake but _ESPECIALLY_ when she taunted/teased them with what her partner had _seen_ or what they'd _done together_ that none of them ever would get the chance to. Nothing quite made the faunus' face turn scarlet like Yang saying, _'Yeah well, I get to look at myself naked in the mirror, and she's seen me naked so who are the real winners here?'._

With the professor sliding to her left, Weiss smiled without worry, and without an ounce of emotion Oobleck handed over a white folder with perfect handwriting inside.

"Excuse me?" Her eyes narrowed at the _almost_ perfect grade, which like Yang was only one point shy from her goal.

Weiss' dark thoughts disappeared however as the professor hurried to his desk and back, and what sounded like a bomb going off thundered beside her.

"RUBY!" she screamed, her hand back in her purse.

A large, white binder was laid on the table with loose papers coming out of the sides due to there not being enough room in her several hundred page novel. On the front cover, _'Best Field Report Ever!'_ was written in red crayon, but what caused the vain in the side of the heiress' head to bulge and nearly finally pop was what she saw on the inside.

"You used _MY_ binder to get a perfect grade!?"

The caped-girl glanced at her partner then at the binder, then at Nora who immediately wrapped her arms around her in an Ursa sized hug full of joy.

"Excellent work, miss Rose," he congratulated before addressing the rest of his students. "Class should end in twenty-two seconds so before-" The bell sounded leaving the startled professor standing with his mouth open in shock, just like most of the class. It seemed for the very first time he was running behind schedule.

Ruby began to stand but sat back down almost instantly. Nora quickly began gathering the girl's things as well as her own before gently helping her to her feet and leading her back to the dorm, both giggling as they went.

"Remember class," Oobleck shouted. "Your amended field reports must be turned in directly to the Professor Ozpin himself by the end of the week. As Beacon's headmaster he is Vale's grand huntsman marshal, and given the circumstances of many of your first missions, I believe he is _very_ eager to read about your heroic adventures."

He took another sip from his thermos and rushed out of the classroom. With everyone else filing out behind, a still stupefied Weiss' slumped against a bony shoulder.

"Come on," Blake said, playing with her partner's hair and now her's. "Let's get the two of you back home..."

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This was more of a comedic chapter, but it was one I enjoyed writing and one I wanted to share with you for quite some time now. Ruby and Nora's friendship has always been something I've enjoyed writing, and I've actually given some thought to writing a story about just the two of them. I also liked seeing the characters in the classroom as that's something we probably won't ever be getting again in the show and I haven't been able to fit into my narrative much. Yang's idea of a perfect grade made me laugh, and it might come into play again sometime in the future. And her _'sticking up'_ for Blake (and perhaps her friends) by saying "Oh yeah, well she's seen me naked!" seems like something she'd do, and she's not exactly wrong. ****I also like the idea of Ruby getting a higher grade than even Weiss, and we'll discover why that is next chapter.**

 **I know I said I was going to be focusing more on "Remnants of Salvation", but I honestly sat down and very nearly edited the entire chapter in a single night. Chapters will still be infrequent I'm afraid, but perhaps focusing on another story won't make too much of a difference considering it means my "writing muse" will want to be fed more. And I believe (hope) it should be awhile before chapters are double digits in words again.**

 **As always, thank you everyone for supporting myself, this story, and my other writing ventures. Thank you for all of the follows, favorites, positive reviews, PMs, shout outs, and humble readers. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story as well as all of you. God bless)**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Best Field Report Ever, Of All Time

* * *

 **(A/N: My deepest apologies for the long delay, friends. I've been rather busy the past couple of months, and one reason this chapter took so long was because I was writing another story called** **"The Prodigal Stray". It follows Blake shortly after the fall of Beacon** **where she's being haunted by her shadow that accuses her of being cowardly and self-serving. If the Beowolves don't get to her first, she'll die of hypothermia or pneumonia, but all she wants is see her best friend one last time. It's a** **story about forgiveness and sisterly love conquering all obstacles and defeating condemnation. A lot of love went into writing it, as did this chapter of "The Patchwork Prodigy". I hope you enjoy. God bless)**

* * *

Weiss, Blake, and Yang sluggishly dragged themselves into the room closing the door behind them which had been left wide open. The blonde had already taken off her school jacket and vest, and unbuttoned her shirt a ways, but now in the privacy of their home the monochrome pair began getting more comfortable as well. A uniform already lay on the floor alongside Ruby who was busy retying her boots, now sporting a baggy shirt and pants along with her cloak. She was out of breath and her face shined with sweat, and Yang wanted to make a joke speculating what she and Nora had been up to while they were away, but was simply too tired to think of anything clever enough for her high standards of comedy.

Zwei ran around playing chicken with their legs in celebration of the pack making it home, but once he realized there wouldn't be any belly rubs or treats for him, he sat back down beside his fellow pup who hadn't been nearly so cruel.

Noticing a large white binder atop the desk, Yang yawned and helped her sister back to her feet. "I'll figure out a way to hang it on the fridge later, Rubes," she promised, throwing her schoolbag unceremoniously across the room, with her partner doing the same a moment later. "First, I need a nap..."

With that sentiment she hurled herself atop the top right bunk, causing the books supporting the structure to wobble precariously. Despite death hanging just above her head, Blake sat down seemingly content with her leader's engineering skills, or more likely, trusted that it'd be a quick, fairly painless death.

Weiss dropped her schoolbag and collapsed atop her own bed keeping her legs crossed due to wearing a skirt, albeit with leggings. She opened her eyes as a shadow fell over her, and saw Ruby standing on the tips of her toes grimacing as she reached for her bunk. Just as she was about to activate a propulsion glyph to help the girl up, her partner staggered backward with a sniper rifle cradled in her arms.

The heiress rolled her eyes unsurprised that the world's deadliest weapon had been resting above her head the previous night. She had come to expect it by now, and in truth came to enjoy waking every morning, sometimes early afternoon, with the knowledge that she hadn't been beheaded in her sleep. Yet...

Similarly to Blake, either she believed it'd be a quick, painless death, or she trusted the lunatic's prowess with ropes and chewing gum. Rather darkly however, they also believed it was still too early for the sisters to get them killed, and far too anti-climatic.

"Okay, guys, I'm off to the machine shop," Ruby announced, having more pep to her step than all three of them combined. "Nora's gonna meet me down there to work on Magnhild."

"In other words you're going to have a tea party with your weapons," Weiss mumbled.

Her teammates waved halfheartedly as they'd woken far too early after a late night. Whether they'd seen the sunrise before or _after_ going to bed was anyone's guess, or perhaps simply a matter of perspective.

While Blake fell backwards onto her pillow, Weiss sat up just enough to see Ruby put on her ammo belt and clip Crescent Rose to it, which in her gym clothes and cape was quite the obtuse fashion statement. "Just don't make us carry you back up here. None of us have the strength, and I'd rather not be seen in public with you dressed like that."

"You want me to tinker with Myrtenaster?" Ruby asked on her way out the door.

"No," Weiss stated emphatically, though already coming to terms with finding her blade lying _slightly_ askew in her locker tomorrow. It was maddening of course, but the cylinder would be spinning much smoother, and a chocolate chip cookie would be there as a much needed peace offering.

"Blake?" Ruby asked. "You want me to-"

"Go for it." The faunus lifted her right leg into the air and removed the pistol from her thigh holster. "At this point you know Gambol Shroud better than I do. The cleaver's in my locker if you need it, and you already know the combination."

She tossed it over and Ruby caught the weapon with ease before starting out the door, turning the light out and leaving behind a couple of rose petals to remember her by.

The door slammed shut, and Yang as if sensing something unsettling frowned. Weiss and Blake meanwhile gave each other knowing looks and the heiress sighed. "At least she has enough aura that she feel like she can waste it. But for God's sake, Blake. You're in a skirt. I expect such unladylike behavior from Ruby and Yang, but not from you."

The faunus blinked unamused, and undid the bow in her hair so as to free the ears atop her head which had gotten used to being left uncovered the past couple weeks. "I'm wearing shorts, Weiss. And even if I wasn't, we're girls. I'm pretty sure after all this time together, Ruby's desensitized to the three of us by now. Also, look at who her sister is and what she's had to deal with her entire life."

"That's right," Yang agreed groggily. "Though for the record, at least I wear a top and shorts to bed. You wear yukatas that half the time don't cover what's covering your rear, and some of the princess' nightgowns aren't as _conservative_ as she likes to pretend they are. Say what you will, but Rubes has seen your underwear a lot more than mine in recent months."

"That's because she can't see something that isn't there."

"Touche pussycat. But do I need to tell you not to knock it til you've tried it?"

"Probably not," she said evenly, not giving anything away.

"Glad to hear, but do you ever think it's also possible that I'm just committed to the bit at this point? Or that bikinis are just that more comfortable, and practical for someone who likes to go swim or sunbathe after class?"

Blake was quiet for a moment, her ears perking up a bit. "Alright, I'll bite. We're going shopping on your birthday anyway, and I'm gonna need some swimsuits if I'm gonna stay with you and Ruby after the school year. I guess I'll be needing a swim cap too..."

While they spoke, Weiss sat up smoothing out her skirt and picking at her white leggings. Besides Blake, they all had bruised legs and even Yang had decided to cover them today. But try as she might to occupy her mind by fussing over her appearance and telling herself how wrong the blonde was about her elegant nightgowns even if she was right, her eyes lingered on where the rose petals had appeared but just as quickly disappeared.

"Am I the only one who's worried about her?"

Both girls stopped talking. "She can't walk very far or for very long," Blake said sadly, "but she'll be alright just going downstairs. Besides, Nora will be with her."

"That's not what I meant, and that isn't exactly comforting." Weiss swallowed, knowing they were thinking the same thing. "Her aura's fluctuating again. She didn't do that on purpose."

"Ruby's aura isn't as developed as ours," Yang replied tiredly. "She probably just got excited and lost control for a second."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

Instead of answering, she yawned which infectiously affected Blake who simultaneously with her partner, let gravity win the battle over their eyelids.

Weiss herself was just as exhausted, but the binder across the room had peaked her interest since seeing her partner's grade. Getting up, she stepped over Zwei who had curled up beside his food and water bowls, and carried the massive report in her arms, the corgi following her back to the bed.

He curled up beside her as she laid the massive binder on her lap so she could read in the light from the window, and frowned at the very first page.

"You really ought to lock your binders up," Yang laughed.

"I do," she grumbled, "but you'd be surprised how quickly someone with super speed can figure out the combination to a locker."

As she chucked to herself, Weiss glanced back down. "How is it possible that your sister's handwriting has actually gotten _worse_ over time? And why does she insist on writing in red crayon? Is it just to annoy me? It's that isn't it?"

Because Yang's snoring hadn't begun the moment her head hit the pillow, and Blake hadn't curled herself into a ball, Weiss knew sleep wouldn't be coming at least for a little awhile, and with heavy sighs they both rolled over facing her.

"Probably because she wrote her report this morning before class," Yang explained, not exactly pleased about being kept awake, "and all she could find were red crayons. That, and it annoys you."

Weiss wasn't the least bit surprised to hear this as she hadn't even seen her partner start the report, and Ruby doing her homework at the last minute might as well have been tradition at this point. But then again so were high if not perfect grades.

"Does she write in any other colors?" Blake asked curiously, to which neither girl had an answer.

Weiss being a quick reader and having become fluent in _'Rubbish'_ , which was what she had named her partner's handwriting as it was a language unto its own, easily read the first couple dozen pages in a matter of minutes.

Seeing a scowl on her face despite it hiding in the shadows, Blake raised a brow. "What's wrong? Migraine?"

The heiress gave her a blank look. "In Ruby's introduction, she gave a _brief_ description of the three of us, but our weapons each received entire pages dedicated to them, with Crescent Rose might as well getting an entire chapter. And yes, I officially have a migraine now."

Yang laughed. "I don't know why you're surprised at this point. If it makes you feel better, Weiss, I didn't even mention you in my report."

"It does actually." She continued reading.

"Except for when that teeny-tiny Nevermore nearly made you go winky-tinky-woo-woo."

At this remark Zwei tilted his head, and Weiss growled up at the top bunk, keeping the insults and death threats to herself. "It was enormous," she stated simply, glancing back at the report while Yang replayed the happy memory in her mind.

With the mission being retold from her partner's perspective, Weiss noted how little emotion there seemed to be in Ruby's words, reminding her of when she was on the battlefield. The recounting of clearing out Beowolves at the school was more dutiful and official sounding than she had ever heard from the excitable girl, and almost startlingly straight to the point. Many of those beasts had been fully grown Beowolves, probably only a couple decades away from becoming Alphas, and they had likely murdered the children there...

They had all needed to die according to Ruby, who only in passing mentioned her theory on where the White Fang might've have been hiding...

It wasn't until the next _'chapter'_ that Weiss found the first hint of emotion outside of Ruby describing and admiring her teammates and their weapons.

"What's wrong this time?" Yang smirked. "Ruby mention the swing set? Or call yourselves _'swingers'_? That made it into my report too."

At that even Blake chuckled, but Weiss shook her head. "She left that part out..."

"Then what is it?" the blonde asked again, a little worried by how sullen she had gotten.

Weiss scooted into the light and glanced up looking shaken. "Ruby just escaped from the Mimic. Or more accurately, it _let_ her escape..."

Both girls swallowed, and a chill crept up their spines. Even Zwei scooted closer to the heiress and pawed at her skirt nervously.

"That _thing_ tried to eat my sister..." Yang sat up, her legs dangling to the ground as her eyes flickered at the empty bed across from her.

"She wrote that she's never been more scared in her life, except for when she finally saw its face..."

"And trust me," the blonde's voice shook. "Coming from her that's saying a _lot_."

"Ruby says the cut under her eye came from the Mimic, and that it licked the blood off her face. She thought it was going to gouge her eye out for fun..."

She trailed off as bile rose in all three girls, turning their heads unable to stomach the horrid thought. Weiss continued reading to herself in silence, occasionally sharing something their leader had left out telling them, which besides the Mimic which she refused to discuss was very little.

Finally, she came to the chapter they'd encountered Torchwick, and scowled as she held up the large binder for the faunus to see.

" _'Payback is a Weiss'_ ," Blake read aloud, grinning ear to ear. "Sounds accurate enough."

Above her, the top bunk was bouncing up and down as the blonde howled in delight, swearing to use that herself someday. "Now _THAT'S_ going on the fridge!"

With the mood picking up a bit, Weiss continued again having little to comment on as her team had been there for the rest or told about by the caped-girl. She was still upset about having nearly killed a man when she accidentally knocked him off the train and into the hungry jaws of Grimm, but Weiss felt no sympathy for him, especially knowing how much it had upset her partner. The innocent lives lost seemed to have affected her partner just as much as the terrorists lost in the crash, and Weiss found herself having to re-read passages as she was too distracted from thinking about her.

She couldn't help shaking her head being reminded of the hell they went through together to save the City of Vale. It all sounded like it happened to other people, and if it hadn't been for her left arm still aching, Weiss might've believed it had all been a nightmare. Not only had her partner thwarted a terrorist attempt, but also led them against hoards of Grimm and saved countless lives, all the while dulling her agony with painkillers, which thankfully she left out of the report.

"You know, sometimes I forget just how special she is," Weiss said softly, wiping something from her eye. "Sometimes I forget the girl who thinks _'painting the town red'_ means putting crayons in her gun, is the same one who ran over a mile on tattered feet and slaughtered an entire pack of Beowolves with torn muscles and a separated shoulder, just to save me..."

"In Ruby's defense, those _really_ hurt," Blake said quietly, massaging her backside deep in thought.

Yang nodded, absently rubbing her shoulder while still looking over at the empty bunk across from her. They had all seen countless times the transformation take place where one moment Ruby Rose was childlike and acting the part, and another was pulling her hood down and impassively facing death, almost to the point of disinterest.

Weiss knew that cold feeling deep within herself far too well, but also knew it was different somehow for her partner. While the heiress hated evil with practiced bitterness, she honestly wasn't sure if Ruby was capable of _real_ hatred even after all she'd been through. It almost as if she didn't understand evil, or _couldn't_ more accurately. Unlike her, Ruby still saw the good in the world and its people. And after reading through the report, Weiss finally decided her partner didn't understand evil for the same reasons evil would never understand her.

A loud rumble filled the room, and the monochrome pair glanced up at the blonde who blushed slightly and patted her stomach. All the talk about her sister seemed to have given her a chocolate craving. Without warning she rolled off her bunk, nearly landing atop of Blake before stumbling toward the closet.

Opening the door, she took a step back should this be the day the death trap activated and mountain of clothes, ammo, books, and other belongings finally collapsed on top of one of them. Carefully, she dug through some of the supplies on she and her sister's _slightly_ more disorderly side, and retrieved a brown cookie jar with white roses painted on the sides.

She held it proudly in the air but her teammates couldn't help noticing her flustered appearance. With a sly grin however, she removed the top and stuck her hand in.

 _*SNAP!*_

Both girls jumped, nearly hitting their heads on the beds above, but Yang merely chuckled. Pulling her hand out, she wiggled her fingers in front of incredulous pair.

"Your sister booby trapped her cookie jar with a mousetrap? Blake deadpanned.

"Once again, why do you sound surprised?" she laughed, removing the trap and tossing it aside. "Rubes started putting them in all her stashes last week to catch whoever was stealing from her. I don't have the heart to tell her she was eating them in her sleep _long_ before we started."

"Just how many stashes does she have?"

Yang shrugged having lost count. More than once the team had gotten sweet tooths late at night while she was asleep, and raided the caped-girl's supply, pinning it on her when she awoke by sprinkling crumbs in her bed.

Weiss pursed her lips. "So Ruby has seen you get punched in the face by a Paladin and knocked through half a dozen concrete pillars, was there when a building collapse on top of you, and saw you blow yourself up along with half a neighborhood, but she thinks a _mouse trap_ will somehow deter you?"

"Ruby's is special like that," she explained, smiling with a mouthful of chocolate which caused the heiress to gag.

The blonde walked over and held the jar out for her partner, who after a moment of hesitation took two handfuls. She then held it out for Weiss who checked for explosives first before taking just a couple.

"What does her closing statement say?" Blake asked. "That's where Oobleck took the most points off mine."

"Mine too," Yang commented, seemingly trying to fit as many cookies in her mouth as possible. "I think it might've had something to do with ranting about how it wasn't fair that we didn't even get paid for the mission."

"You still on that?"

"Of course I am!" Thankfully both girls had also become fluent in understanding their teammates with their mouths full. "We're just free labor to them! If we were full-fledged huntresses, we would've gotten-" She held out her hands counting her fingers. "We would've gotten more lien than I can math! Which is at least two month's worth of dances and VIP room fun at _'Every Body, Needs Some Bawdy'._ Four if I kept Rubes' money back telling her it was for _'school'_..."

Blake couldn't help noticing her partner's nervous energy as she paced around room eating cookies, or her darkened eyes. There had been real bite to her words, and the faunus knew she was still thinking about the conversation that had made her hop off her bunk for a quick distraction.

Weiss had watched the entire exchange but quickly continued reading, careful not to get chocolate on herself, bed sheets, or the pages that had since stopped giving her a migraine. Yang being impatient and unsatisfied by the cookies, stalked over to the fridge. She seemed to contemplate opening one of her personal drinks Professor Goodwitch wasn't supposed to know about, but settled on the chocolate syrup hiding in the back which she opened with her teeth. Swallowing several mouthfuls, she grabbed the whipped cream and once again filled her mouth. Together with her sister's cookie jar, she carried her dinner back to her partner's bed, taking a seat and offering them to Blake who hesitantly reached for the syrup but waved her off.

A few minutes of the only sound being the pages of the binder turning and Yang attempting to drown herself, a sniffle seemed to echo in the room as a droplet fell from the heiress onto the paper she was reading.

"Are you alright, Weiss?" Blake asked, her partner quickly swallowing.

Weiss shook her head before clearing her throat which had tightened. She placed a unsteady finger on the page where she'd been reading. " _'Ever since I was a little girl, being a huntress is all I've ever dreamed of. I want to protect people who couldn't protect themselves, and make sure no little girl ever loses her mom ever again.'"_

She paused and looked across at Blake, who like her glanced up at the blonde who was staring down at her feet.

" _'Even before arriving at Beacon, I saw how life as a huntress usually ends. I've seen the survivors and the battles they face every morning they wake up, and I also know first hand what it's like to lose someone you love and be constantly afraid you won't see your family again. But after my team's first mission, I now know what it's like on the other side, saving lives and seeing for myself the lives I wasn't fast enough to save. I'm now the person my friends and family will pray for while I'm wrapping them in an old red cloak and telling them to hide under the bed...'"_

Weiss took a deep breath, blinking rapidly. " _'My teammates are the huntresses I always dreamed being. Yang is the kindest, most loving person in the world, and she'll be the greatest huntress of our generation. She'll be the one to break what our uncle calls the family curse. She'll be the first huntress in our family to die of old age...'"_

The blonde turned away, making a pitiful moaning sound as her partner wrapped an arm around her.

 _"'Blake never runs away, only towards her next goal. Despite everything she's been through she still smiles, and she reminds me every day there's still something to smile over. And Weiss-'"_ The heiress' voice cracked and she covered her mouth. " _'She might be the only person who has a warmer heart than my sister, and I couldn't have asked for a better partner. She's-'"_

Weiss abruptly closed the binder covering her face unable to read aloud anymore, or look anyone in the eye.

"Your sister's incredible," Blake finally managed, letting Yang lean on her.

"She always has been..."

Weiss carefully set the heavy binder beside her pillow as though it had suddenly become the most important book in the world.

"My final statement was all about my duty as a huntress. I am to selflessly protect the innocent and be a light in a world of darkness. But _duty's_ the last thing that goes through Ruby's mind. She just wants to help people..."

All three couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. They shared a room with a _real_ huntress, someone who didn't have ulterior motives for coming to Beacon Academy. Professor Oobleck had seen through all of them in the lost city, and reading Ruby's report, they knew that hadn't changed. They might be more like her now, but they'd never be the huntress she was.

Blake glanced at her partner out of the corner of her eye, buried underneath her mane. Since returning from the mission, they'd been cooped up in the hospital or their room together nearly every day, with Yang worrying about her sister every waking moment of that time. The blonde was getting more anxious, her jokes more common as if to distract herself, and it had already begun affecting her aura. The blonde was a self-admitted party girl, practically _needing_ to steal the dance floor and have guys buy her a drink at least once or twice a week. She _needed_ excitement in her life, and all this cabin fever wasn't doing her or the rest of the team any good.

Her birthday was going to be a much needed distraction for them, but a team of huntresses in-training needed more than just shopping to make them feel alive again, and turning toward the heiress, it was clear she was thinking the same.

"You know what we need to do right?"

Blake nodded, and took the chocolate syrup from her partner's hand while tossing the other girl the whipped cream she'd been eyeing. "We need to ask JNPR if we can borrow their training room later this week. We're rusty, and we've got a tournament to win. Do you think your sister can handle some light practice?"

Yang brushed her hair out of the way, and looked at the pair with a lopsided grin. "With Ruby there's no such thing as _light_ practice. She's gonna push herself to keep up with us and our pitiful shape, and she's gonna overdo it like she always does." Her smile faded but there was a quick flicker of her eyes that the pair weren't sure what to make of. "But if that's what it takes to finally get her mind off the tournament and focus on getting well, then so be it..."

Blake and Weiss glanced at one another, suspicion in their unsaid conversation, before turning into guilt and sad acceptance. What had been suggested as a way to relieve the team's stress and have some fun, may have just become the caped-girl's undoing.

"I don't like it," Yang said quietly, "but we'll talk about it later. First though-"

She raised the cookie jar, and Weiss and Blake slowly did the same for the whipped cream and chocolate syrup, all glancing at the binder.

"We figure out how to hang that on the fridge," they said in unison with their mouths full.

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Another "short" set up chapter, but one I've been looking forward to for quite some time. I always love seeing the team just be regular teenage girls, and I also love seeing how they each view each other. I especially enjoyed hearing about Ruby's report, and her teammates' reactions from it. Perhaps we'll read later on why Weiss wasn't able to finish the part about her, but next chapter as you may have guessed is gonna be team RWBY back in the training room. It sounds like if Ruby pushes herself too hard that it might put away all thoughts of participating in the tournament, and it doesn't sound like Yang necessarily sees that as a bad thing. I hope you enjoy the training scene, as it includes _two_ exhibition matches I think you'll enjoy.**

 **Along with writing "The Prodigal Stray", I've also gone back and begun editing "The Petals Scatter Now". I've edited/revised the first twenty chapters now, and am slowly working my way through the next twenty. I haven't made any major changes to the plot or characters, just fixed grammar and added little details here and there. I just wanted to give a heads up to everyone why things may look different or why the word count has gone up.**

 **As always, thank you everyone once again for your incredible patience and support. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with these stories and wonderful readers such as yourselves. God bless)**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Our Better Halves

* * *

The silence in the musty dressing room was deafening as team RWBY changed for the first time in weeks into their combat attire. While their favorite outfits had been ruined on the mission by countless rips, tears, and bloodstains, they'd salvaged what little they could and incorporated it into their replacements so any lingering aura wasn't wasted.

As impractical as their attire might've been, clothing over time picked up the wearer's aura as an extended form of protection, and not having to rely entirely on your active aura supply in battle often meant the difference between life and death. Whether it was buttons, shoelaces, or just scraps of cloth masterfully sewed into their garments, every little bit went a long way. Unless you were Yang of course...

The blonde taking her time putting her clothes back on firmly believed in a _'less is more'_ approach. She reasoned that because her aura was already on par if not better than Mark VII armor, her aura saturated clothes would only get in the way of absorbing the punishment needed for fueling her semblance. Despite the girl's apparent practicality however, her teammates and combat instructors believed she simply enjoyed showing off, something that she never refuted or denied.

With her boots finally tied _just_ right, Ruby glanced at Weiss sitting on the bench beside her, still nervously adjusting her attire. The leader had gotten partially dressed separately from her teammates in a nearby bathroom, something until recently had only done by the heiress. She was glad to see her partner becoming less self-conscious around them, and hoped her sister wouldn't say or do anything _uncomfortable_ to undo that progress.

She'd been the one to feel self-conscious however when she walked back into their small private locker room, but she couldn't get dressed in front of them. She just couldn't...

Ruby could no longer feel her aura lingering in her combat skirt, or even her tight leggings and sleeves for that matter. They no longer felt like an extra layer of skin, and it had taken a _particularly_ long time getting back into her corset-looking waist cincher. She'd resorted to using one of her elastic bands, and hoped no one noticed her stomach poking out a bit. Or that an extra roll of bandages had gone missing from the bathroom this morning.

Hopefully they'd just think she'd gone too heavy on the cookies this week.

Although she felt as naked as her sister looked, Ruby was comforted by the presence of Crescent Rose, which still radiated aura like the love that was poured into her. And briefly glancing at the other girls in their cramped, stuffy changing room, she knew they all felt the same.

Ruby gingerly got to her feet, her cape unfurling as she laid an unsteady hand at her ammo belt and on her scythe. She took a deep breath, and waited patiently for her team to finish gearing up. After what felt like an eternity of her sister being indecisive whether her backside looked better in jeans or shorts, and the other two girls being just as bad wanting their new huntress attire looking _perfect_ despite being nearly identical to their last, they retrieved their battle proved weapons for one final check. They were some of the deadliest instruments Beacon Academy had ever seen, or as Ruby lovingly called them, their better halves.

They could never quite tell if she was being entirely serious or not, but after some much needed soul searching, they too now looked at their weapons and saw a reflection of themselves.

No matter how warm Myrtenaster's fire burned, she was cold and her steel unyielding, but was treated delicately almost like a beloved memory.

Gambol Shroud was as enthralling as she was adaptable to her surroundings, but preferred staying in the shadows as though she and her wielder were afraid to be seen.

Then there was the mighty Ember Celica. Breathtakingly beautiful and her paint sparkling like solid gold, but also ferocious and destructive, and worn for all to see as though she were priceless jewelry.

And lastly there was the oversized, over-designed Crescent Rose. As sharp as she was ruthless, and built by a mad genius during a four day sugar rush. Already, the aura around her was pulsating impatiently, restless from her slumber...

"E-every-body ready?" Ruby stuttered, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

The girls standing off to the side nodded, with Yang wearing a cocky grin in her dark jeans as Weiss calmly held up a finger before pointing accusingly at her. "I have a question. Why am _I_ the one who has to spar with brute-zilla? Or more importantly, why am I _always_ the one who gets thrown under the bus on this team!?"

She gritted her teeth, looking mutinous as she eyed the tall blonde that whistled innocently, or at least attempted to.

"Because of our... _my_ injuries," Ruby began, briefly recalling everyone else's that were normally kept hidden by their clothes, but feeling especially concerned by her sister's, "Blake's the best choice to spar with me. Her reflexes are more than enough to keep up with me and Crescent Rose, and she doesn't need a dust coating or even aura to block our attacks properly."

"Sure helps though," she muttered under her breath, rubbing her forearms as though she were cold, knowing they would soon be numb.

"And your sword arm still isn't a hundred percent, Weiss. One heavy blow from Crescent and she might accidentally break it..." Ruby patted her rifle in a soothing manner. "She wouldn't mean it of course, and she'd be _really_ sorry."

Weiss held her breath, and glanced over at Yang who seemed to read her mind.

"Do you _really_ think it's a good idea for me and Rubes to spar?" she asked incredulously. "I doubt I could keep up with Crescent Rose right now even with a haste glyph, and if I didn't tear muscles the first time a hundred pounds for force came into contact with my gauntlets, I'm probably tearing her's when I send all that force back at her." Yang pointed to the girl beside her. "Being a faunus has its perks you know, besides always landing on your feet and being a contortionist. Without aura, Blake's stronger than I am, her eyes can follow Ruby even at her top speed, she's our best _solo_ defensive fighter, and she's the _only_ one here who's actually going to be combat ready by the end of the month."

Blake quickly looked away as if ashamed she didn't carry the same battle scars as her friends. Yang had been their cornerstone during the mission while Weiss stepped away from her supporting role to fill the monumental task of fighting on the front lines, all the while she'd been their scout only occasionally fighting with them. And Ruby... she'd done everything in her power to protect her team, and her body showed the terrible price. Sometimes Blake wondered if she'd been there with them at all...

"And it'll be good for Yang to spar with someone more _technical_ than us," Ruby said brightly. "Normally she can just brute force her way to victory but she won't be able to this time. You're also the slowest members of the team, and neither of you should be taking our heavy hits right now. And without dust you have the lightest attacks, Weiss, which means Yang's parries won't need to be as forceful, and you'll be on offense setting the pace of the entire match."

Yang wrapped an arm around her dejected partner while grinning devilishly at the girl in white, her eyes flickering. "And don't worry about my semblance, Weiss," she cooed. "I'd _never_ lose control with someone I cared about..."

 _*gulp*_

"No semblances," her sister stated plainly. "We're all low on aura, some of us lower than others, and none of us can afford anymore injuries." She halfheartedly pointed at herself but was thinking of her teammates. "This will just be a fun, short training session, so no landing direct hits if you can help it. Keep your aura shields down but at the ready, and don't strengthen any of your attacks. We're gonna fight fair, so no cheating. And make sure you're dulling your blades with aura instead of sharpening them. That way if you land a hit, it _shouldn't_ break skin."

While Ruby, Weiss, and Blake proved their weapons were harmless by running their fingers across their incredibly sharp blades, Yang held up her gauntlets looking unenthused. "I think you three have an unfair advantage over me..."

Blake snorted and shook her head at what might've been her partner's most ridiculous statement to date. As she counted herself fortunate not to be her victim for once, Ruby crossed her arms unamused by her sister, having to tilt her head up just to look her in the eye, who was too busy intimidating the dainty heiress to notice.

"Weiss isn't allowed to use her vials, and we can only use low grade yellow dust. Ember Celica and Crescent Rose are built to create function-able recoil so that won't slow us down too much. But if we accidentally shoot each other, the worst that'll happen is we look like we stuck a spoon in the toaster. Probably the worst anyway..."

"Spoon?" Blake raised a brow and the girl nodded earnestly.

Realizing her sister was still staring down at Weiss menacingly, Ruby sighed. "You hear me, sis?"

Yang's eyes returned to lilac, and she raised her gauntlets revealing they were in fact empty. "Loud and clear, Rubes." As the caped-girl turned to her head, she winked a red eye back at the heiress.

"So who goes first?" Blake asked.

"Dibs!" Yang raised a hand, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Not dibs!" Weiss shouted back.

Ruby pulled the privacy curtain around the door away before unlocking and opening it into the main hall, ignoring the pair and their antics as she walked turned the corner.

"Me and the _Grimm Reaper_ it is then..." Blake looked between the suddenly somber girls, searching for any indication of what she should do.

Despite Yang's promise that they'd discuss this exact moment later, the time had come without another word uttered whether or not their leader would be spending the night sore in her bed, or in the infirmary.

A slip here, or a clever maneuver there, and Blake would be able to convince even herself that the girl's injury had been her own doing, or at worst had simply been an unfortunate but not uncommon training accident.

She kept looking to her partner, pleading for some kind of instruction, an order she couldn't refuse, but besides sympathy in her eyes, Yang was impassive and trusting the decision entirely to the faunus. She wouldn't make her best friend do anything she didn't want to, and would support and accept her decision even if it meant her baby sister was getting x-rays ten minutes from now.

If Ruby saved all the aura she could spare until the tournament, then she _might_ be able to compete, but she would spend every waking moment of every day in unnecessary agony. And if she focused entirely on her recovery, then she wouldn't have near the aura reserves necessary for combat, and she'd cost herself and teammates their well-deserved entry. And Ruby had decided that she was going to make the tournament even if it killed her.

A minor injury, that's all it'd take. Just something to put her on the shelf again for a couple weeks. She might've come a long way since the day she was released from the hospital walking with crutches, and she might've been doing her best to look strong for her teammates, but they knew it was sheer stubborn willpower getting her through each day as they'd seen it countless times from her, and she was just like her big sister. Even if her tattered feet looked as though they'd been sewed back together before breaking at the seams again, she refused to let it slow her down.

But if her hopes and dreams of making the tournament were ripped from her, and the shining light at the end of the tunnel she'd been hobbling toward day after day snuffed out, then Ruby would have no other choice but to rest and get well at her own pace.

Deep down she might wonder if her sister and friends had conspired to purposefully break her heart, but even if she knew the truth someday, Ruby would go to her grave loving them just the same, and would probably blame herself for the rest of her life for getting her blood on a friend's hands, especially if she felt she'd forced them.

Blake wanted to vomit...

She was the team's saboteur, and while her friends might love the girl so much they'd unwillingly do something so heartless, Blake believed she was the only one who wouldn't think less of themself tomorrow morning. She'd done _much_ worse in her life after all, but she couldn't help wondering if purposefully injuring innocent little Ruby Rose was perhaps the unforgivable sin. They were huntresses, and accidents were one thing, but this was premeditated, and her victim was an already injured girl who was without a doubt the kindest, sweetest person she had ever met who deserved better.

And yet it had been without hesitation that Blake volunteered for this heinous act before her friends could.

She had made all the necessary points to her unknowing victim, as well as the others in private. Yang was Ruby's big sis and like a second mother to her, and Weiss her partner and best friend, as well as each other's first _real_ friend. Blake might share a fourth of her soul with the caped-girl, but their relationship with each other paled in comparison to theirs.

Nothing was more valuable to them than their Ruby, and Blake refused to let anything tarnish something so precious and pure. They'd never be able to forgive themselves, but except for brief flickers of hope here and there, Blake had given up on that long ago...

"Are you coming or not?" their leader demanded, sticking her head back in the room impatiently.

"We're on our way, Ruby" her executioner rasped, the younger girl eyeing them all curiously before turning back around. Once she was out of earshot, the faunus hung her head and mumbled under her breath, "Let's just get this over with. Please..."

Yang and Weiss wrapped their arms around her, flaring their auras in comfort and gratitude.

* * *

They exited together, the girl in front marching with a noticeable skip in her step as her long cape trailed behind. While the long hall filled the rest of the team with a certain sense of dread, for her there was nothing more inspiring.

Ruby had dreamed of walking these halls since before she could remember. This was where generations of huntsmen had become legends, and where her mother had spent the better part of her underclassman years. It upset her that she'd never thought to ask what her mom's locker number had been, but Ruby pretended she had guessed correctly anyway. Unlucky number thirteen had always been her favorite.

They were far below ground in what had once been a military bunker before the academy had been built, and there was no hiding from the centuries of sweat and ammunition no matter how many air fresheners her partner hung up. They passed by the main boys and girls locker rooms which went mostly unused except by the upperclassmen and for showers as it wasn't uncommon for the underclassmen to prefer their personal prep rooms once the team grew comfortable enough to dress together.

Down the hall and to the left, not far from the elevators, was the rarely attended machine shop. Across from it was the gun range, specifically designed for testing what would someday be Remnant's finest marksmen. Or for those with sniper rifles and already the best, a place to win obscene bets and even more obscene amounts of chocolate.

The weight room to the right was passed in a hurry, none of the girls particularly wanting to dwell on something as horrid as weightlifting right now. They all enjoyed their taxing cardio workouts well enough, running or riding exercise bikes for hours on end, but the gym was a miserable place where aura was forbidden except during recovery periods. Granted team RWBY's main objective in the gym was stamina and strengthening their cores, but at least once a week in Goodwitch's class, they were also expected to lift weights and simulate carrying a fallen teammate to safety.

From the food in the cafeteria to their rigorous training regimens, everything the school provided was done to hone their bodies like the weapons they wielded, because their auras wouldn't always be there for them.

Yang was the only one to find a silver lining, as she much appreciated seeing shirtless male bodies glistening with sweat. Blake and Weiss seemed to enjoy the scenic views as well, however they _claimed_ the odor too unpleasant, and violently fought over cold shower privileges back in the room just the same.

But for the proud blonde with a weakness for muscles, it was humbling, but also borderline humiliating. She was physically the strongest student in their class, _with_ aura, but without she found herself struggling with weights guys like Jaune and Ren normally warmed up with. They could lift nearly twice as much as her with seemingly only half the effort, which while an enjoyable sight was always more than a little crushing to her ego.

Blake had to keep herself in check being much more naturally gifted than the average skinny teenage girl, but while noticeable, they all knew her strength wasn't _quite_ as remarkable as she pretended it to be, or any where near her near endless amount of stamina. And for the two girls barely above five feet and just over a hundred pounds after breakfast, it was a miserable experience that was felt for days.

With their auras, the girls all felt seven feet tall and three hundred pounds, but then harsh reality would always rear its ugly head. Huntresses had nearly twice the mortality rate of their male counterparts, and the leading cause of death for huntresses in combat; their bodies breaking down without the reinforcement of aura...

Not for the first time, Yang found herself looking down at the _much_ smaller members of her team, noting just how vulnerable they looked even in their gear, including herself and her partner. They always felt so invincible with their auras that sometimes it was easy to forget they weren't just mortal, but teenage girls, something they'd been reminded of daily since their extended hospital stay. She looked away blinking something from her eye, wanting this day over as soon as possible. She knew far too many huntresses to have died young...

They finally came to a set of heavy double doors, which with some effort Ruby pushed open revealing the training room they'd borrowed from their sister team. It was smaller than Goodwitch's classroom, just a simple plain combat field with markings and an inactive video board mounted on the wall, along with rows of bleachers for spectators to sit.

After a brief moment of uncertainty, Ruby took her position and started loosening up, and with a pat on the back from her teammates, Blake reluctantly did the same. Yang and Weiss took their seats beside the backpack full of snacks Ruby had brought as well as a cooler, stocked with waters and other drinks specialized for replenishing strength and recharging spent aura, though most believed the latter was just SDC marketing at its finest.

They also eyed the emergency first-aid kit mounted on the wall that they'd been fortunate enough to have never needed before...

"T-This is just a friendly sparring match, s-so no killing allowed," Weiss reminded them, her voice cracking in between words.

Yang playfully nudged her in the shoulder, nearly knocking her over. "I'll try to remember that when it's our turn."

The heiress nudged her back and held her breath as the competitors finished their last minute stretching and readied their weapons. Ruby lowered her hood, and pointed the barrel of her sniper-scythe down at the ground angled slightly behind her, resting a boot atop the blade.

Blake noticed how the girl's muscles seemed to relax, and saw under the hood an impassive, almost vacant-looking expression. Slightly unnerved, she reluctantly raised her katana and cleaver into a defensive position, knowing what was about to come, and how badly it was going to hurt.

 _'I'm sorry, Ruby. Please forgive-'_

"Begin!"

Before the faunus could even blink, Crescent Rose fired leaving behind a yellow cloud, and its massive blade whistled through the air already swinging for her midsection. Blake gritted her teeth as their weapons collided, sparks flying in their faces, and electricity shooting up her arms as the familiar dull pain sat in.

With a roar, she pushed the smaller girl back, but had to duck when the sniper-scythe fired again for a counter attack.

Her eyes stung from the dust, and Blake began losing ground due to the six foot weapon spinning at blinding speeds. Despite this, the faunus never lost track of the blade, nor the location of her prey.

Beacon's most deadly duo were much faster than she'd anticipated, but a mere shadow of their former selves...

Blake saw her opportunity. She dived under the blade's guard with ease, causing the caped-girl to suddenly go on the defensive. While the pair exchanged blows patterned by familiarity, all Weiss and Yang could see on the sidelines were red and black blurs as sparks showered the competitors' feet.

She was relentless in her pursuit, finding herself much stronger and more agile, but Crescent Rose and her skilled wielder always just half a step ahead.

The scythe never lost momentum as Ruby fired rounds in every direction, holding onto her sweetheart as though it were her dance partner, her feet hardly ever even touching the ground.

Soon however, Ruby found herself hugging the weapon tightly against her side with white knuckles, seemingly unable to lift it anywhere near above shoulder length, and each strike becoming more telegraphed than the last.

 _'Now!'_

The perfect opening, and the perfect opportunity to slam the girl's own beloved weapon into her rib cage passed, and Blake braced her weapons to absorb another extremely heavy blow that she'd no doubt be feeling tomorrow. However, she immediately recognized the awkward angle this had put Ruby in, and raised their weapons slightly. A sudden jerk and her prey's injured right shoulder would be dislocated or perhaps even broken, but in her hesitation Ruby pulled the trigger once again.

Blake's bow folded back as her sensitive ear drums rang, and she darted forward trying to get under the girl's guard again. The sniper-scythe fired down where she'd been standing, momentarily blinding and deafening the faunus, who barely had enough time to prepare her blades as she was forced to kneel under the sheer might of Crescent Rose as all the momentum from the battle was dispersed throughout her body.

She bit down on her tongue tasting blood, but with the massive blade now secured, she violently yanked the much lighter girl forward, suddenly not regretting her decision in the slightest.

To her surprise however, the scythe folded back, launching its wielder into the air. Almost gracefully, Ruby landed back onto her starting position, Crescent Rose firing once again to soften the landing, and its blade realigned from its deadly _'harvest mode'_ as she called it.

The faunus took a moment to steady her breathing and regather her composure, and give the other girl a much needed moment as well. After only her first major exchange with the intimidating weapon, Blake's arms already felt weightless and her blades heavy. Her legs wobbled like jelly, but across from her she saw her opponent leaning against her scythe just to stand as she gasped for air.

Not wanting to take anymore heavy blows or let the girl regain her momentum, and just wanting the fight over with, Blake struck again, this time crossing her blades and letting the katana's long ribbon dangle at her soon to be victim's feet.

Just as it appeared she'd been caught, the sniper-scythe fired and Ruby slipped out of the noose before it could tighten around her ankles, and once again Blake was forced to defend against a teeth rattling blow.

Ruby backed away, biting her lip and all too aware how close she'd come to being caught. Gambol Shroud's versatility was limited only by its wielder's imagination, and not only had they spent countless intimate hours in the machine shop together, but the caped-girl's imagination might have been the only true match for the exotic weapon from the southern territory.

Blake however knew exhausted prey when she saw it, even if it was hidden under a hood and behind a massive scythe. She charged forward trying to keep the deadly blade stationed directly in front of her opponent so no momentum could be gained. Ruby kept backpedaling, but Blake never backed off as her opponent had difficulty just keeping her weapon raised after every strike.

Finally with newfound aggression perhaps adopted from her partner, Blake forced the sniper-scythe aside, shoving the weapon's shaft under Ruby's armpit. Just as she was about to unleash a hammering blow that'd shove the weapon up even further and leave the precious girl crying in a hospital bed for at least a week, her cleaver instead pressed against the red cloth at the girl's throat.

Her nostrils flared, and the faunus' face hardened. Bright silver eyes slowly raised, and out of the corner of her's, Blake saw the scythe inches from her neck and Ruby's finger scratching the trigger.

She swallowed, her hand struggling to remain steady before finally nodding in acceptance. The younger girl's now dulling eyes closed, and she pulled the trigger.

Blake's head rolled off her shoulders before her hand could so much as twitch, and faded into darkness along with her body.

"You can open your eyes now, Ruby."

The caped-girl peeked and saw Blake sheathing her weapons over her shoulder with her head still attached, but unable to look her in the eye.

No matter how many times the team saw her shadow _'die'_ , it never made the initial shock of seeing their friend being decapitated or impaled any less unsettling. For that reason Blake normally withheld from using her semblance against them as she felt much the same, but this time had been different. Blake hadn't even flinched...

 _*clap*, *clap*, *clap*_

The pair turned as their partners approached, but Blake looked away suddenly interested in her shoes which were coated in a thick layer of yellow dust.

"Awesome!" Yang removed her sister's hood and smiled down at her. "You were awesome, sis. You really were."

The caped-girl was about to speak but suddenly collapsed against her, and looked up with half-lidded, pleading moist eyes. "I need to sit," she nearly sobbed.

Yang promptly scooped the girl onto her back with Crescent Rose folding into a more manageable size, and hurried back to their seats with Weiss activating several ice glyphs, cooling her partner who was drenched head to toe in sweat. Blake however kept her distance.

"You alright, Rubes?" her sister asked softly once she was sitting with her feet dangling from the bleachers.

She nodded, and motioned with a shaky hand for the water bottle Weiss was carrying to be poured over her head. Once it was about half empty, she pressed it against Ruby's lips who began gulping it down as quickly as possible.

 _*cough, cough*_

As their leader recovered from her fit and enjoyed the cool breeze, Yang and Weiss looked toward the forlorn faunus with her arms crossed over her chest who could barely meet their gaze.

 _'I'm sorry...'_ Her eyes seemed to say.

The pair shook their heads, and beckoned her to come stand with them. Reluctantly, she dragged her feet over and looked down at her former prey and would-be victim as she struggled to breath.

"You let me win," Ruby said between gasps of air, a weak smile on her still dripping lips.

Blake shared a worried look with her teammates. "No I d-"

"Yes you did," said the caped-girl more sternly, looking up with wet eyes and a ghostly pale face. "If you hadn't been able to pull your punches at the last second, I'd be in the hospital right now."

Blake's body tensed up, and she had difficulty swallowing the bitter lump in her throat.

"Thanks for the awesome fight," she continued, her smile widening. "You don't know how much I've missed this."

"Don't mention it..."

Ruby opened her arms waiting for an embrace, but it was only after a bump on the shoulders from her friends that Blake bent down to give her a reassuring hug.

When they finally released each other, the faunus smiled politely down at the beaming girl, but it felt as forced and unnatural as it looked. Thankfully, Ruby didn't seem to notice.

"You didn't use any aura did you?" Weiss asked her partner, scowling at her wrist scroll as though it were written in another language.

Ruby shook her head, but stole a nervous glance at the girl in black whose nose was still occasionally twitching.

Blake stared back wearing a blank expression, but slowly it began to soften.

"You're not hurt are you, Ruby?"

She opened her mouth but hesitated before speaking, and looked down at herself even kicking her legs as if to make sure they still worked.

"I-I think I'm alright." She felt around her stomach and chest area for a moment before finally nodding, but not without some uncertainty remaining.

Blake let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Relief spread throughout her chest and she smiled brightly with her eyes sparkling. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that, Ruby."

The pair stared at one another grinning and occasionally chuckling when Ruby suddenly began to shiver. Taking notice, Weiss flicked her wrist causing the small glyphs around her to dissipate.

"You're incredible, Rubes. You know that?"

Hearing her proud sister's voice caused Ruby to blush, and she looked down kicking her feet idly. "Thanks, but Blake's the one who's incredible. Besides, Crescent Rose did all the work." She hugged the sniper rifle tightly to her chest and pressed her forehead against the barrel. "Thanks, Crescent. You've probably missed this even more than I have."

"I thought our weapons were supposed to be extensions of _ourselves_ ,not the other way around," Weiss said in a lofty voice. "Truth be told, and I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm glad to be facing your brutish sister for once."

Ruby snorted but smiled anyway at the compliment, no matter how preposterous or untruthful it may have been.

"Not as happy as I am," Yang said, already cracking her knuckles.

The caped-girl leaned over as excitement again filled the air. After digging through her backpack for a moment she retrieved a bag of popcorn, and held it up with sad puppy eyes. Just as her sister was about to grab hold of it with a fiery hand, a small flame glyph sparked around the bag warming its already popped contents.

Three sets of eyes glanced at the heiress who reached inside and retrieved a small handful before turning around toward her starting position.

"Coming, Yang?" she asked, her head held high and her mouth full.

The blonde smirked, and gave her attentive audience a wink before following, her hips swaying and her body language exuding confidence. As they checked over their weapons for the final time and stretched, Ruby found her normally insatiable appetite suddenly forgotten.

She looked down at Blake's yellow shoes who had taken a seat beside her. "Thanks for not telling them..." It had barely been a whisper, but the faunus heard it just as clearly as her teammates' mumbled words of gratitude as they'd walked off.

"Telling them what?"

"About-" Ruby glanced up at the uncharacteristically cheerful eyes of the faunus, but found herself frowning at them. "I'm not a helpless little girl."

"I-I never said that you were," she replied, taken aback by her sharp tone.

"No, but you were thinking it..."

"So you can read minds now?" she teased, hoping to disguise her unease much like how her partner did.

Ruby puffed out her cheeks. "I'm y'all's _leader_ , not your kid sister."

"Why can't you be both?" Blake's tone became more serious, and she laid a gentle hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Ruby, you of all people don't have anything left to prove to us, and you shouldn't have wasted your aura like that. You being our leader is the reason we're still alive, and if nothing else, us three misfits have _you_ as our little sister in common." She wet her lips, not exactly being good or comfortable at this sort of thing. She never liked wearing her emotions on her sleeve like everyone else, and often had difficulty with words. "Y-You were wrong in your report by the way."

She quickly looked up in surprise and perhaps mild annoyance of having her field report read behind her back, but mostly she appeared to be curious.

"All I do run from my problems, and if it wasn't for our- _my_ little sister needing me, I'd probably be skulking in the library, if not half-way to Menagerie by now."

Ruby's lip quivered, and after an unexpected hug that caused the faunus to smell stale, _slightly_ withered roses again, the caped-girl leaned toward her backpack holding her side tightly.

Blake reached over to help but Ruby ignored her. "I'm _not_ helpless..." she reiterated, groaning the further she stretched.

She retrieved a large bowl and a bottle of chocolate syrup, and after she was done wiping her eyes, she poured the popcorn into the bowl and began pouring the chocolate syrup on top. " _This_ is the reason I was late to breakfast," Ruby said, her voice sounding raw. "It took me forever to find..."

It took a moment for Blake to register her words or realize why she was being stared at so intently, and turned her head hoping her face was still flushed from their match.

"Before I found it under _your_ bed though, I found the whipped cream under Weiss', and you can probably guess what all I found under Yang's..."

"I can, and I try not to think about it. And I _really_ wish you wouldn't looked under mine either..."

" _My_ chocolate syrup under your bed. _My_ whipped cream under Weiss'. One of _my_ half-eaten boxes of strawberries and _my_ handcuffs under Yang's. I don't think I need to go into what else I found, like Weiss hoarding all of Zwei's treats for some reason, but what's the rest of that sound like to you?"

 _'Like another one of your sister's supposed misadventures?'_

 _'Something out of my books?'_

 _'A hell of a good time?'_

Blake's voice caught on the back of her throat and she covered her mouth stifling laughter and hoping she hadn't said that out loud. As she fought back tears, Ruby swiftly became too enamored by the chocolate pouring out the bottle to notice anything going on around her.

After briefly wondering why the fifteen-year-old might've had handcuffs, Blake brought her hands up defensively. "Ruby, I swear-"

"You three have been going on midnight binges and doing magic tricks without me!"

Blake blinked. "Ah, I guess that explains the cuffs then..." She seemed to recall her partner threatening to handcuff themselves together should she ever run away again, but until now thought it had been an idle threat. "Ruby, I swear on Weiss' grave that it was just a one time thing. You're not the only one who has chocolate cravings and-"

"Want some?" Ruby held up the bowl as though she hadn't been listening.

She sighed. "No thanks..."

The caped-girl grabbed a large handful and shoved it into her gaping mouth, barely retrieving her fingers out of the way in time.

Blake giggled looking at her and felt something warm flutter in her chest as she scooted closer. "Don't ever change... _Rubes_..." She wiped her eyes unsure if she was referencing the girl's childlike demeanor, her obliviousness, or her incredible ability to look the other way. Finally though, after deciding which was was the funniest, she grabbed a handful of popcorn.

"Mmmm. S'good."

Hearing a small voice clear their throat, the pair looked up and saw an impatient heiress tapping her foot while an amused blonde smiled at them.

"Whatcha talkin' about, eh?"

"Begin!" Blake and Ruby shouted.

Both girls instinctively readied their weapons, but neither made a move from their starting positions.

After a quiet moment, Yang blinked, lowering her gauntlets. "Uh, Weiss? You're attacking and I'm on defense remember? Unless you'd like me to go on offense..."

The somewhat whimsical tone of her otherwise threatening voice caused Weiss' eyes to narrow as she gave a cold stare, none of them quite able to tell if her nerves had gotten the better of her or if she'd simply forgotten. From the way she held Myrtenaster with her injured arm however, steady and with a relaxed grip, they leaned toward the latter.

In solo combat, their support fighter was much more accustomed to opponents rushing her in order to negate her various glyphs which needed a moment or two of concentration to create, and _'defensive'_ simply wasn't a term _anyone_ would've used to describe the fighting style of team RWBY's juggernaut.

If there had been any trepidation before it was now gone, replaced with cold, calculative cunning. She appeared much more comfortable than she had in the dressing room, but more importantly, all their previous encounters, something that wasn't lost on her opponent or their audience.

To say Weiss, or Blake for that matter, was a pessimist would've probably been a compliment to all other doomsayers, but her friends also knew she a penchant for the dramatics and was more than a _little_ vocal about her complaints.

However, confidence now shined in her brilliant blue eyes, but she still approached slowly, regarding the explosive blonde with the utmost caution. Yang couldn't help grinning at the amount of respect she was being given as the other girl had seen her many bruises and bandages, but as the rapier drew closer, her smile faded. She lowered her chin and raised her gauntlets to match the blade pointed at her heart.

Gone was the spoiled rich girl with a sharp tongue. Instead, she was replaced by someone callous who had no sympathy for her enemies.

"Bring it on _Ice Queen_..."

Wasting no more time, Weiss struck like lightning and a flash of gold deflected the blow. The much smaller girl let the momentum carry her into a spin instead of being knocked off balance, which as they all knew was next to impossible. The girl practiced gymnastics in heels after all.

She pressed forward driving with a flurry of stabs that the blonde easily deflected despite having to keep her defenses unnaturally low.

Because most only saw the wild brawler as someone who looked more at home in a bar fight than an exhibition match at a huntsman academy, it was easy to forgot that she was the only member of her team to have actually graduate from a combat school, and was an unparalleled _counter_ -striker taught by the very best. Although given the choice she might prefer throwing the first punch and would gladly trade ten just for one, if she was up against a skilled opponent she'd fight as patiently as she could and wait for them to overextend or make an error before countering with knockout haymakers. But in a fight without aura against possibly the school's most technically sound swordsman, she'd be waiting forever and the slightest error on her part meant losing.

And Yang hated nothing more than losing...

Meaningless exhibition match or not...

Natural tenacity and toughness now took a backseat to skill and technique, and to the former dueling champion's chagrin, Yang's footwork and parries weren't leaving her a single opening or flaw to exploit.

The pair on the sidelines were awed by the dance of gold and silver. Sparks flew all around the blonde whenever their weapons collided with deceivingly powerful blows in the part of the _much_ smaller heiress. Perhaps even more so than her prodigious partner, Weiss was underestimated by virtually all her opponents, but never for very long. Her reflexes were on par with a faunus' and her skill with a blade nearly unrivaled, but all this was to compensate for a small body and aura reserve that exhausted easily, and strength that while surprising, _needed_ aura and dust coatings to stay competitive the longer the fight went. Because of this, her classmates had learned that they could draw or possibly win if they could simply weather the blizzard. But for those few short minutes, she could stand toe to toe with Pyrrha Nikos and as she was proving, Yang Xiao Long.

Nobody underestimated or took her lightly anymore because in the words of her opponent-

 _'Hell is five foot three and she wears high heels...'_

And Yang was feeling that hell and more with every controlled movement of the girl's wrist.

Ruby had forgotten about her snack and instead was feasting with her eyes. The dance finally came to a momentary halt when the rapier got caught between the gauntlets raised in a cross pattern, and the smaller girl leaned back, contorting her spine before a boot could land against her skull.

As much as Yang declared herself a boxer, she was just as deadly a kickboxer and mixed martial artist.

She did however prefer punching things.

Weiss grabbed her weapon's hilt with both hands and ripped it from of the trap. She immediately went for a swift diagonal slash barely moving her arm, but a check kick grazed her inner thigh which forced her to retreat before a spinning back-fist could take her head off.

She returned to her starting position with a light coat of sweat on her face and using the breathing techniques she'd learned as a singer. Yang's own breathing appeared more labored and irregular, and it was with great hesitation that she returned to her position as well.

The blonde appeared to be focused on her opponent, but Blake couldn't help noticing something resembling disinterest on her partner's face, almost as though she had something more important on her mind.

It was never really her or her opponent's fault that she felt this way. After the initial rush of battle, it was always difficult keeping Yang enthralled as she could normally end most fights whenever she wanted, and was never able to fully enjoy herself like she did while killing Grimm. She wanted to fight with the same fiery passion and aggression as her semblance, not worrying about opponents that might as well have been made of cardboard.

Blake's sharp eyes couldn't help noticing something else however. While it was true her partner's mind seemed to be elsewhere, there was a rarely seen strained look on her face that might've had something to do with her left arm being held tightly against her chest and her slight limp.

Perhaps insulted that her opponent was lowering half their guard, and being done with feeling out her opponent, Weiss lunged toward the girl's stomach but feinted at the last possible second just as her opponent went to counter-parry. She instead slashed at her right thigh and Yang to narrowly avoided it by hopping back which knocked her off balance. Meticulous with every movement and her form nothing less than perfect, Weiss pressed forward refusing to given an inch against the brute who had soundly beaten her in every sense of the word countless times in the past.

Payback indeed was a _Weiss_...

Confidence swelled within her like never before, and with the grace and speeds at which she and her blade moved, Blake might've thought there was some faunus blood in her if not for knowing her last name.

Yang was now using solely her right gauntlet for defending, only using the left when she had no other choice, and always grimacing when she did. Weiss could sense her prey was tiring and growing weak as she controlled her every movement like a puppet master, and could see her first victory in sight as she landed her most devastating blow yet on the weakened arm which fell limp at the girl's side. Despite this however, the champion duelist missed something the faunus on the sideline could see clear as day.

Yang was in pain, she was angry, and she was done...

With reflexes that came from having a cat faunus as a partner and a speedster for a little sister, Yang caught the thinnest part of the blade in her right hand, wrapping the thick combat glove around the sharp edges. Pulling it aside, she twisted it slightly causing the girl to hiss as pain shot through her still tender arm, and Weiss dangled on the tips of her toes as a large fist lightly tapped her on the chin.

"And you're dead," Yang growled between her teeth, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

The helpless heiress scowled, and glared at the unmanicured, calloused fingers wrapped around her precious Myrtenaster.

"If my aura wasn't dulling the blade, your glove would be shredded right now and your hand-"

"And if _my_ aura wasn't turned off, you'd be holding onto the wrong end of branding iron, princess."

She scowled but a cruel smile curled on her lip refusing to back down to the much larger girl. "Well if I pulled the trigger, you'd be in store for a _real_ nasty surprise..."

A wicked smile graced Yang's mouth and her eyes flickered as she flexed her fingers around the blade which had steam rising from it. "I really wish you'd try..."

Just as Weiss began scratching her itchy trigger finger, their teammates appeared out of nowhere.

"Break it up you two." Blake rolled her eyes, pulling her partner away while Ruby did the same with Weiss, though with a slight limp and holding onto her every step of the way.

The girls handed them towels and bottles of water which they eagerly accepted. They both swallowed several mouthfuls and afterward, Yang poured what was left over her head while Weiss splashed some onto her face, already having activated more ice glyphs to cool them off.

"Good fight, Weiss." Yang cracked her sister with her towel which caused her to laugh while the other girls took several steps away from the blonde and her deadly weapon.

"Good? That was AWESOME!" Ruby declared. "Your footwork and technique were _perfect_ , sis! And, Weiss, you were overwhelming _Yang_!"

The pair glanced at one another and gave each other respectful nods, but unsettled business was clearly on their competitive minds.

" _Overwhelm_ is a pretty strong word, Rubes, but I'll admit the pipsqueak knows how to swing a sword."

"Humph!"

"Looks like you almost had you, sis."

"Yeah well, I can't lose in front of my baby sister now can I?"

"Nope," Ruby gushed, now looking up with reverence.

"I think that should count as a win for _me_ ," Weiss said suddenly. "If my aura wasn't dulling the blade, and if I pulled the trigger-"

"There's no such thing as a fair fight, princess." Yang folded her arms tightly to her chest, trying making it look as natural as possible. "If we're gonna bring your aura into this discussion, then we're bringing in mine too. I also wasn't allowed to go on offense remember? Just countering, and I'd say you had the unfair advantage with that sword."

"I thought you said there's no such thing as a _fair_ fight?" she said in a mocking tone, hooking her rapier back to her belt with a flourish.

"She's not wrong, sis," Ruby replied, greatly pleasing her partner. "You're not a hundred percent right now, and she had _six_ dust crystals she could've activated at point blank range." She held up six chocolate coated fingers for emphasis.

"Fire, water, and ice probably wouldn't do too much damage to _you_ on their own," Weiss said smugly, "but electricity, air, and pure energy would do a _little_ more than make your hair stand up..."

She smirked while Yang stuck out her tongue, but the blonde did glance down at the red, dark and light blue, yellow, green, and white vials and swallowed.

The red and two blue vials didn't worry her much. No fire could burn hotter than herself and ice didn't last particularly long around her, especially not the weaker but more versatile water vial that would've been next to useless in anyone's hands except the _Ice Queen's_. The other three vials however sounded like less fun however.

Yang had been electrocuted at least half a dozen times in her life, mostly by Nora and toasters, and hadn't exactly enjoyed the experiences. Air sounded harmless enough, until you realized a gravity glyph was in reality just as reverse propulsion glyph, and could suck the air right out of your lungs just as easily as make you feel heavier than an Ursa. Then there was the white vial, which didn't last long but packed a hell of a punch and could be used to manifest the user's aura, and was also Weiss' trump card in a fight. It also wouldn't be long until she'd be able to create some glyphs _without_ the need of dust. This fight had more than proven that to her.

"And Weiss," Ruby continued, shaking her head in disappointment. "You've been around Yang long enough to know that you'd only be making her mad. Like really, _really_ mad..."

This time Yang smirked and it was Weiss' turn to stuck out her tongue.

"What now?" Blake asked as the two gave each other not uncommon death stares. "I don't think anymore training is a good idea." She stared at the way her partner held her arms and had trouble catching her breath, and occasionally glanced at her sister who was constantly shifting her weight and hadn't gotten any less pale.

They all quickly agreed, knowing they already pushed themselves too far, but it was the leader who threw her rifle over her shoulder with her cape billowing. She would've looked almost dignified if it hadn't been for the chocolate smeared on her face and stuck between her teeth.

"I'm gonna stay down here. I wanna get some practice in at the shooting range."

"Yeah, like you need the practice," her sister snorted.

Ruby blushed and hugged her baby closer. "I've modified her barrel so she can shoot more than just different grades of yellow, orange, and red dust, but I haven't had the chance to test it yet. It won't be _nearly_ as strong or versatile as _Ice Flower's_ signature attack, but being able to shoot explosive ice rounds could come in handy for slowing targets down."

"Ice rounds that _explode?_ " Weiss raised a brow but decided not to question it.

"I guess I'll stay too." Blake got her partner's attention and motioned her head down at the caped-girl. "I'm curious how Gambol Shroud's recoil feels after you tinkered with it, Ruby."

Yang nodded in thanks, understanding her meaning. "Well I'm gonna go back to the room and grab some lunch, maybe even a drink or two, and pass out for the day." She let out a wide yawn reminiscent of a lion. "We woke up _way_ too early for this, and this week back to school has just about killed me."

"I don't see how," Weiss huffed. "All you do is sleep through class. _Obviously_ you're just exhausted because of our match and don't want to admit it. Which I believe _I_ won by the way. Technicality or not."

Before the blonde could argue, Weiss walked away with her chin held high and her heels clicking.

"Where are you going?" Ruby asked.

She turned her head, still walking toward the exit closest to the elevators. "Unfortunately back to the room with your pigheaded sister. I would very much like to get into some clean clothes and perhaps even shower before you two get back and steal all the hot water. Also, the music box I ordered from Atlas should finally be arriving today. Coming, Yang?"

As she turned back around, Ruby felt her shoulder lighten as Crescent Rose was taken out of her hands.

Grinning like a madman and with visible muscle spasms in her arms, Yang chambered a yellow round before dialing in the scope toward her target, speaking in a sing-song voice.

" _Twinkle, twinkle little sass. Watch me shoot you in the-_ "

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Not gonna lie, I was rather proud of Yang's rendition of _"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Sass"_ , and it probably goes without saying but I _really_ enjoyed this chapter. I wanted the first match to be more about Blake versus Crescent Rose rather than Ruby, and show how skilled Ruby is with her weapon but also that she's having to rely on it for virtually everything during the fight. For Yang and Weiss, I mostly wanted to show how far Weiss has come, as well as highlight the characters' fighting styles of course. Team RWBY are so unique in everything they do, but it's their fight scenes that really show who they are as characters. Yang's can be as calm as a campfire or as raging as an inferno, just as Weiss can go from gentle winter flurry to blizzard in the blink of an eye. All their ****styles are beginning to rub off on each other, but I always love getting to see their core character shine through while doing what they do best. And I hope you enjoyed.**

 **Before I'm corrected, I realize some of my colors of dust are different from the show. I've had the colors of dust headcanoned long before we got an actual "World of Remnant" on the subject, and this just made sense to me. Gravity isn't an element in this universe, and while I didn't give a name to orange, I see it as a mixture of yellow and red. It isn't as lethal as fire but is more dangerous than yellow. I don't really have a name for it, but as confusing as it may be, I tend to just call it "Burn" even thought I know that's the official name of red/fire in canon. Nothing major, but I just wanted to point this out.**

 **Looks like Ruby/Blake and Yang/Weiss are splitting up. Before you ask, yep, we're gonna get a chapter for each odd pairing, and I'm just as excited as you are. I think they'll have plenty to discuss after their matches and away from their partners.**

 **As always, thank you everyone once again for your incredible patience and support. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with these stories and wonderful readers such as yourselves. God bless)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

A Song of Ice and Fire

* * *

 _*bing*_

The brass elevator doors parted and out stormed an indignant-looking heiress whose heels clicked with every awkward step she took. In case there might've been any unwelcome eyes watching down the hall or in the break room off to the side, she attempted to appear as intimidating as her small stature and frilly combat skirt would allow, but for the tall blonde casually strolling behind her the act was almost as amusing as it was suspenseful.

Yang had her scroll's camera at the ready, wearing a wide grin in anticipation for when Weiss' priceless shoes became her greatest downfall, and couldn't help shaping her hand like a gun and lining it up with what she had always claimed in the past to be a _'sizable chapped target just asking to be kicked'_ , which looked as though she'd sat in a yellow powder-like substance.

"I tried to stop her," she said, aiming down the sights, "but you know how childish Ruby can be sometimes."

Weiss muttered something rather unladylike under her breath and continued limping into the side-room populated only by a couple of empty tables, a sofa, a kitchenette, and a wall of post office boxes unaware that the girl behind her was busily reliving what might've have been the highlight of her life. She'd felt so proud to have hit her target, sizable or not, despite not having fired a gun in close to a year, and the aftermath of handing the sniper-scythe back to her stunned sister accompanied by high-pitched screams and curses across the room still made her aura glow.

"You're welcome by the way. If I hadn't taken Myrtenaster off your hands you'd be feeling guilty right about now for killing my sister. Okay, maybe _later_ you'd be feeling guilty. But don't worry, your glorified ice pick is lying safely in your locker just how you like it. I barely even snooped through your stuff this time. No need to thank me. Just looking out for one of my top fifty besties."

Ignoring the talkative portable sun following too close behind, Weiss came to a stop in front of her particular box on the bottom row and retrieved her student ID from her dust pouch. Yang, curious to see if she had any mail as well unlocked her's with a quick swipe of her card but found herself disappointed by it gathering dust.

"Alright, let's see if Rubes' hiding any birthday presents!" She rubbed her hands together before pulling another ID from her belt, this one of her sister with wild morning hair and chocolate smeared on her lips. Apparently _someone_ had _accidentally_ mailed off the wrong photo when she was applying to Beacon, and _someone_ had also nabbed it when she wasn't looking earlier that morning.

Bending down and opening the lower box, Yang found a couple envelopes with names and addresses she recognized as coming from Signal, but no small packages or notices to go downstairs for pickup like she'd been hoping.

 _'Maybe there's money inside,'_ she thought to herself holding it up to the light. _'There ought to be SOMETHING! They were my friends first after all...'_

Seeing and also feeling nothing inside but folded paper, she sighed and stuffed the mail into her ammo belt. Her sister was possibly the only person left on Remnant who still preferred writing letters over texting or email, and unlike her checked her mailbox daily if not hourly. Yang on the other hand normally only made it a point to check her box around the beginning of each month around the time their legacy condolences were supposed to arrive. It was always a somber day seeing the envelopes addressed to _'The Daughter of Raven Branwen-Xiao Long, Yang Xiao Long'_ and _'The Daughter of Summer Rose, Ruby Rose'_ , but there was also a great sense of pride as well. Their mothers hadn't been forgotten, and it was almost as though they were still taking care of them. Buying whatever clothes, textbooks, or school supplies their daughters needed, and most importantly, enabling their respective chocolate, alcohol, and firearms vices.

"It's here! It's here!"

She turned to see the other girl bouncing on the balls of her feet with a brown package labeled _'fragile'_ hugged tightly to her chest.

"It's here! It's here!" the shrill voice repeated. "It's _finally_ here!"

Yang grinned as Weiss lost any self-respect that might've remained after having her backside painted yellow, but couldn't help being disappointed and just a _little_ irritated when she practically skipped out the room and down the hallway forgetting about her limp from just a few moments prior.

Arriving at the mysterious purple carpet stain just outside their room, Weiss threw the door open and instinctively ducked as a monochrome ball of fur flew through the air and attached itself to Yang. While the pair wrestled on the ground for dominance, she _gingerly_ sat down on her bed, furiously tearing ripping open the package with as much dignity and patience as a five-year-old on Christmas morning.

"Pinned ya again," the pack-leader teased with the submissive corgi playfully chewing on her finger. She then began rubbing his exposed underbelly causing his eyes to roll to the back of his head which only encouraged her to continue.

"So what'd you order again? I remember you saying something about a pig's head but for some reason everything gets a little fuzzy after that..." It wasn't often the girls received packages in the mail shopping in the commercial district as often as they did. Blake would occasionally order books online when she couldn't find them in the few and far between bookstores still remaining, but generally anything and everything they wanted could be found in ample supply in the city, particularly in the department stores of the _'unaffordable side of town'_.

Thinking the girl was simply too excited to answer, Yang was about to repeat herself when soothing music accompanied by Weiss' angelic voice filled room, causing her every sore muscle to tense up.

 _"...You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Oh please don't take my sunshine away..."_

 _*sniffle*_

Zwei untangled himself from the pack-leader's clutches and sat below the source of the lullaby with his ears perked up while Yang remained motionless and with her head down.

When the melody and her singing came to a satisfying end, Weiss looked down at her captivated audience then at the sparkling object in her hands. "I have a music box just like this beside my bed in Atlas. I didn't want anyone getting the wrong impression and thinking I was homesick, because I'm not. I just needed- I mean _wanted_ to hear it again, and so ordered another just like it..."

She leaned over letting Zwei sniff the ornate white box that was about the size of his food bowl. There was too much metal and grease to be a chew toy, though perhaps not for his fellow pup, but when he gave an approving yip anyway she rewarded him by scratching behind his ears. "You understand don't you, puppy-tart?"

He answered with a warm tongue that caused her to giggle. "This is my home now," she whispered, lightly tapping him on the nose.

Yang meanwhile sluggishly got back to her feet and dragged them over to the mini-fridge, keeping her head down and her mane covering her face. Perhaps out of curiosity though, she glanced out the corner of her eye down at the music box. Just by its sound and its owner she'd known it had cost a small fortune, but that was before seeing Weiss tracing her fingers over the intricate silver patterns on its sides reminiscent of weeping willows, and the diamonds in the shape of a snowflake on the top.

Although she wasn't nearly as fascinated by gadgetry as her younger sister, even she briefly paused admiring and peering into the box where hundreds of tiny gears stood still, and only after appreciating their beauty did she notice the young girl made of silver and the smiling woman whose feet she stood on. A tiny track underneath them somehow ran atop and through the gears, and the pair looked deep into each other's eyes waiting patiently for when the music would begin again so as to continue their never ending dance.

She reached into the fridge with an unsteady hand and retrieved a bottle buried in the back, then removed the cap with her teeth and spat it into the trash before stalking toward the bathroom.

"You like it?"

Yang stopped before she could completely drain the bottle. "Beautiful," she grumbled, slamming the door shut behind her.

Weiss quickly rewound the box, but no sooner had the music started playing again and she begin humming along that the sound of running water from both sinks roared from the other side of the door.

Moments after the song had played in its entirety for the fourth or fifth time, the water shut off and Yang reemerged wearing her usual pajamas. Black boy shorts and an orange top, as well as fresh yellow bandages around her midriff, left shoulder, right thigh and knee, and her biceps. She threw the towel she'd using to clean and dry herself off into a yellow clothes hamper, and unceremoniously dumped the now empty bottle into the trash.

"It was made by the finest craftsmen in Atlas nearly a century ago and has over six hundred moving parts," Weiss said as though she never left the room. "And no, your sister _cannot_ under any circumstances take it apart just to figure out how it works. Not even if she promises to put it back together like new. Or _better_ than new for that matter..."

Just as she began turning the little handle eager to watch the dance routine again, Yang cleared her throat.

"Hey, Weiss?" she asked. "I-I know your music box is great and all, but would you mind not playing it in front of Ruby?"

The girl looked up wide-eyed as though Christmas had just been cancelled. "B-but why? I was going to play it for her when she got back, and tonight if she had trouble sleeping again. I know I said I didn't want her meddling with it, but I'd been looking forward to showing it to her." Yang gestured at the woman and little girl, and after several moments passing, realization then horror crossed Weiss' face, and her finger slipped off the handle.

 _*Oh please don't take my sunshine away...*_

"Oh my God!" She covered her mouth. "Her Mother! She used to sing it to her didn't she? Yang, I am so sorry I can't believe I was going to-"

"Don't worry about it." The larger girl bounced off her partner's bed onto her own, kicking her long legs over the edge as she sat. "No harm done..."

Weiss' sorrowful puppy eyes matched that of Zwei's, and she appeared to be fighting within herself whether she wanted to turn the silver handle again. Eventually she decided better of it as though her partner would somehow be able to sense it, and only after her hand fell to her side did Yang release her white knuckled grip on the sheets.

Once again Weiss' supple fingers traced the silver willow trees, and soon had company as Zwei jumped onto her bed looking expectantly at her fingernails.

"Nana," she said, "I mean Grandmother Jess, she gave me the music box beside my bed shortly after Mother passed..."

Yang made a small, involuntary sound. "I-I'm sorry, Weiss."

"I don't recall Mother playing it too often for me before bedtime, probably because she rarely ever had time for me, but I can still hear it echoing down the halls day and night..." She looked down at her lap and removed an imaginary speck of dust from the woman's face. "Then one morning I didn't hear it, and I was told at breakfast that my brother had passed sometime during the night. It was later that week Nana gave it to me..."

"B-brother?" Yang breathed,

Weiss nodded absently. "My little brother Whitley," she said in a voice as empty as her expression. "He'd be Ruby's age in January..."

For Yang it felt as though she'd been punched in the gut and all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. To anyone except those living in that room with her, the girl's tone and demeanor would've been thought of as cold and callous, as though they were discussing nothing more than the weather, but Yang could see the small twitch in her normally stoic features and hear the _faintest_ emotive in her voice. And without fully knowing what she was doing, she climbed down and joined her across the room on the bottom bunk.

"I know what it's like to lose a mom," she said, embracing the girl and flaring her aura. "I've lost two actually, but I can't imagine _not_ being a big sis. I am so sorry, Weiss."

Weiss didn't return the hug, nor did she acknowledge the arms wrapped around her or the warm body pressed against her. Even her aura was like a fortress of ice, and only after several comforting squeezes and gentle laps of flame did Yang release her but remain close by her side. Any closer and she might as well have been sitting in her lap.

"I am so sorry," she said again, eyes watering. "I knew about your mom from watching the news, but I honestly never knew you had a little brother. I'm so-"

"That's because I don't like to talk about _him_ either," snapped the _Ice Queen_ , stirring from her long hibernation. "I also don't like discussing Father or Winter if you hadn't noticed, and I didn't have the misfortune of watching their bodies lowered into the ground as a little girl."

Yang flinched and felt shivers travel up her spine but never took her misty eyes off her, and after taking several long, haggard breaths, Weiss averted her gaze down at her shoes. "That came out worse than I intended," she said almost robotically. "I apol-"

Without a word Yang snaked an arm around her and leaned forward, pointing with a sad smile at her eyes which flickered red but only for show. "You don't need to apologize, Weiss. I understand. I understand probably better than anyone..."

She leaned back and pulled the girl closer so that she rested her head atop her shoulder, and gently began undoing her ponytail. Weiss allowed it despite her _many_ claims of not liking to be touched, as well as being almost as protective over her long, silky white hair as the blonde. It had been after an exhausting day and a particularly bad dream one night that she discovered the mesmeric, calming sensation of calloused fingers massaging her scalp and playing with her hair, and ever since had found herself quietly jealous of her partner.

After a long silence Weiss cleared her throat. "You once told me Ruby was born early, right?"

Yang nodded, interpreting her speaking again as a good sign. "Yeah, by about seven weeks. She wasn't breathing right and had to be hooked up to some scary-looking machines, but we got to take her home pretty soon after that. Leave it to Rubes to be impatient. I always blamed it on Summer getting her addicted to strawberries and cookies in the womb, but-" Watery blue orbs looked up meeting lilac, but they almost seemed to be looking through her.

"Yang, I was born nearly a month earlier than Ruby, and Whitley even earlier than that." Her gaze fell again to the floor. "I'm not sure if you've ever noticed, but I'm somewhat shor- _vertically challenged_ , especially compared to the rest of the women in my family."

The girl looking down at her blinked. "I hadn't noticed," she said somehow without an ounce of humor.

"Nana's hunchback but she's still half a foot taller than me, and before my aura activated I spent most of my childhood out of breath and sickly-looking."

"You mean more than usual?" Weiss let out a deep breath as the _Ice Queen_ momentary returned. "Sorry, force of habit..."

"As I was saying, I wasn't particularly the poster child of good health. I got sick easily, and my muscles were weak and my bones brittle. Actually they still are but my aura compensates, and I pulled, tore, and broke more than a few when I first began my huntress training, let alone fencing and gymnastics a few years prior to that..."

She glanced back up with all moistness in her eyes turned to ice. "But the Schnee Dust Company _is_ the medical field, and has been ever since Poppa- I mean Grandfather Nicholas became its president." Weiss paused for a moment and looked as though she had swallowed something bitter. "We were already the leaders of every medical advancement these last fifty years, but after I was born he more than doubled the research and development budget. Around the world we fund the world's leading experts in aura manipulation and cybernetics, as well as employ the finest doctors and surgeons money can buy. Them and my many tutors are the real reason I'm attending a huntsmen academy today, and why despite everything my vision isn't as _impaired_ as it should be."

Yang froze, and suddenly found herself desperately trying not to focus on the piercing scarred eye obscured by several layers of makeup. Like her sister and partner, she generally tried to avoid looking directly at the scar that began above her brow and traveled down her cheek nearly level to her lip because of how visibly upset and self-conscious it made her. Even the week prior when her pale face had been bare, Yang had been too worried about concealing it from the info broker and reassuring her on its appearance to _truly_ study it up close. Now however even with all the makeup on she couldn't help being drawn to how thick and deep it was. _Too_ thick and _too_ deep she had always thought...

She wet her lips about to ask a question she had long since guessed due to Weiss' sometimes clumsy reactions and seemingly inability to catch a ball, and the scar's existence itself, but closed her mouth and returned to running her fingers through her hair.

"What I suppose I'm trying to say is that Mother and I had _complications_ before and after I was born. I'm sure your family experienced something similar with Ruby and perhaps her mother."

The taller girl closed her eyes and nodded. "I don't know about Summer, but yeah. Seeing Rubes hooked up to those machines was the first and only time I've ever seen my uncle cry, but I guess we probably have you to thank for them being so high tech. So thank you, Weiss."

She coughed and turned her attention to the corgi pawing at her skirt. "Well, I don't know whether Mother or Father cried or not, but I wasn't exactly brought home later that day, or even week. They were later warned by the doctors and experts that they shouldn't try having another child, even if the heir to the company was likely to be an invalid when she grew up. Their words mind you, and Father's of course. For awhile they listened, but soon after Mother got her strength back and more medical advancements were made, they wanted to try again. This time for a male heir."

"I'm sorry..."

"There was trouble from the very beginning, and after he was born Whitley was even smaller and frailer than I was, and was taken into the nursery which had been renovated with state of the art medical equipment. The reason you never heard I had a little brother is probably because it was so long ago for one thing, but also because Mother never left the mansion when she was carrying him. The family also tried keeping him out of the news as much as possible, including those trashy gossip magazines you read. There's been enough of my family's scandals, tragedies, and deaths in the media over the years, and unlike Father, Poppa always thought it best to keep the children away from it for as long as possible, but especially for his daughter's sake. But you know what happened. They found Willow Schnee _asleep_ in the garden after having her morning cocktails, though I suppose they did leave that second part out only to speculate worse..." Weiss sighed. "Whitley was Mother's pride and joy, and I don't go a day without thinking about how much I miss playing with him and talking to someone who'd listen, but now it's like we're supposed to pretend like he never even existed..."

Yang couldn't help glancing at the empty bottle in the trashcan desperately wishing she could make it disappear. Looking back down however she couldn't help thinking back to the day before initiation when a certain heiress had barked at her and her little sister, which to Yang Xiao Long had been about as intimidating as Zwei wearing a frilly skirt and high-heels. All day long if the _'lost beach bunny'_ wasn't getting enamored stares she was getting incredulous looks as to how and why someone like herself would be at Beacon Academy, but besides her sister who had been absolutely _terrified_ of the _Ice Queen_ , Yang believed she might've been the only one to see through the snobbish, sharped tongue, rich girl routine, which wasn't _entirely_ an act, to the girl who underneath the many layers of makeup had been undersized and obviously looking for a friend. And as she learned later an underdog her entire life.

She pulled her closer and flared her comforting aura but again was met with a cold wall of ice.

"Don't get the wrong idea about me or my family," Weiss said sharply. "We might both come from broken families, Yang, but that doesn't mean they're both _loving_. My sister and I only see each other a handful times a year, and while we get along pleasantly, we don't exactly have the kind of relationship you and Ruby do. The closest Father's ever come to giving either of us a hug is laying a hand on our shoulders when pictures were being taken or at funerals, where he'd _order_ us not to shed a single tear or show an ounce of weakness, and I don't exactly have the _fondest_ memories of Mother either. Everyone else is either dead, well on their way, or makes Father seem just _lovely_ in comparison."

The other girl remained silent but finally found her voice as pitiful as it might've been. "You still love them though. I can feel it you know..."

Weiss swallowed and pulled herself away from the embrace calming her aura. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do," her voice cracked, "and unlike the rest of the world I understand first hand why my family has the horrible reputation that it does. It's because of masked _fiends_ who turn respectable huntresses into alcoholics, put kind old men in early graves, and attack innocent little girls with red dust infused knives."

Yang's breath caught and she looked down at the piercing blue eyes of the heiress who was gritting her teeth and almost willing her to keep staring.

"Father couldn't even stand to look at me until I was out of my _last_ surgery. Then he sent the servants in to make me look _presentable,_ and in his office he grabbed me by the chin, scowled and demanded that I leave. Apparently all the money and finest surgeons in the world can't fix what everyone including your own aura knows is a fully healed _ugly_ face!" The temperature plummeted and without warning she struck the leg of the top bunk causing it to shake above them and Zwei to scurry away, and she quickly hid her face beneath a pile of white hair.

"Weiss..." Her breath plumed in the air and her hand fell atop the heiress' shoulder which she attempted to brush off but was too determined to stay where it was.

She brushed the bangs out of her eyes and began taking deep breaths in order to compose herself before speaking again. "And we haven't spoken since the day I left for Beacon..."

The hand squeezed gently. "Do you think that might have anything to do with ignoring all his calls?"

Weiss turned her head and glared. "What have I told you about snooping through my things?" she asked coldly, a not-so-veiled threat hiding in her voice.

Yang scooted over and gave a lopsided grin. "And what have I told _you_ about leaving your stuff where I can find it? Or not coming to me when you have a problem?" Weiss turned away causing her lip to fall. "Weiss, you were getting so many calls a day in such a bad, mopey mood because of them that I thought someone was harassing you, and so when you weren't looking I decided to do something about it. And lucky for your dad and Atlas' military I couldn't find a cheap enough flight up north that day and by the next I'd calmed down enough to realize what was really going on. And you _still_ haven't answered my question."

When she remained silent the blonde cleared her throat, and could no longer see her breath when she began speaking again. "Back in the lost city you said your dad was happy to get rid of you when you decided to become a huntress, but that's not true is it?"

Weiss didn't say a word, but just as Yang began to think the heiress was done speaking her soft voice spoke up. "Maybe not _entirely_..." said said absently, sounding unsure of herself.

"Listen, I don't know if you even realize it or not, but every time Blake or my _'trashy gossip magazines'_ have something nasty to say about him, you're always there to defend him, and I think you honestly mean every word you say. I know you two don't exactly get along-"

"Which is putting it mildly..."

"-and between you, my uncle, and my partner I don't really have the highest opinion of him either, but like you said your family's the way it is for a reason. He lost his wife, his son, and if I remember right, he was right there beside you when-" she brushed the hair obscuring Weiss' left eye. "-when his baby girl was attacked and he couldn't do a thing to protect her. I know another man who went through something real similar and pretty much gave up on life afterward, and another who started drinking and never lost his red eyes afterward. Please, Weiss, at least talk to him. He deserves that much."

"Well have you spoken to _your_ father recently?" she asked almost accusingly.

Yang hesitated, unsure whether the situation called for an equally combative response or not. "As a matter of fact I _have_ ," she said, mocking her tone before smiling kindly. "I just didn't want to say anything at the time cause it'd be like rubbing your nose in it. He's _way_ out of CCT range right now, but once he heard about the breach he called me while we were in the hospital from an airship on his way back to Vale. Once I got him to calm down I told him the truth that his girls were a _little_ banged up at the moment, but left out the part about Ruby practically being comatose and having the skin torn and/or burned off the bottom of her feet, and me having blown holes throughout my gorgeous bod and how I nearly killed Beacon's entire burn unit for scrubbing it too hard. I told the doctors and nurses if he called they were supposed to leave all that out too."

" _Told_?"

"Told, threatened, same thing really. Anyway, we had a good five minute talk even if it sounded like he was using a hair dryer. He asked to talk to Rubes but she was asleep and he was starting to break up, and when she woke up I told her it was just the usual Dad checkup." Despite how morbid her words had sounded describing their hospital stay, pride bubbled in Yang's voice as well as her aura. "Dad's on his first real official huntsmen mission in about ten years, twenty if we're counting solo missions. I told him he had better get his butt back on the ground, and before he jumped out of the airship and we lost connection, I told him how _proud_ his girls are of him."

Yang glanced down at the smaller girl who laughed nervously thinking back to initiation and the school's first official lesson, and how she herself had once jumped out of an airship thousands of feet in the air in pursuit of her partner.

"I hate to say it but I was honestly beginning to think he'd never go on another _real_ mission again. Even when I heard he'd left, which he's still a jerk for not telling me, I thought it was just Signal throwing him another bone and another easy escort mission so he could keep his part time status." She smiled sadly to herself. "I think being on his own has been really good for him. At the beginning of the school year if he wasn't calling me late every night I was calling him to make sure he was still eating and going to work, and then checking with his secretary to make sure he wasn't lying. He's had that problem before, and to be honest before school started I was practically worrying myself sick thinking about leaving him and Rubes together while I went off to Beacon, and as much as I hated leaving him without _either_ of his girls, Ruby coming with me was best for the both of them.

"For them or for _you_?"

"Luckily he still had Zwei," she said, ignoring her curt tone and question. Instead she pointed at the napping corgi drooling on the frills of Weiss' skirt. "He told me that when we didn't come home that night Zwei curled up on Ruby's bed and whined till morning, and Dad didn't sound much better when I called. That's the reason I kept flying back home saying I'd forgotten something, which was only true the first three times, and why I'd occasionally drag Rubes along for a quick visit."

"I still can't believe in all our months together you never mentioned having a such a precious puppy-boy."

"I'm sure we did, but you were probably tuning us out and Blake pretending she didn't hear right and repressing it."

Weiss opened her mouth as though she was about to speak but held her tongue.

"Rubes knows how Dad is. He has his good days and occasionally his bad, which thankfully are becoming rarer, but it's harder for her to snap him out of it. Sometimes it takes more than a _gentle_ push, and that's just not who she is. Plus, she's not much better when she sees him like that. It reminds her of old times, and she can't help but blame herself."

"But it's not her fault. She-"

Yang glanced over. "Weiss, forgetting about what happened in Patchwork, Ruby's almost the spitting image of Summer, especially now that she's about the same age as when she and Dad first met. And you've seen how much I look like my mom. Honestly I think being away from us has been the best thing for him. He's not reminded every time he looks at us of our moms, or how much it hurt to lose them. He's lost a lot, two pieces of his soul as a matter of fact, and as much as it used to aggravate me when I was younger and he was worse, I can't be mad at him for the way he is. In fact, I'd give him a call right now if I could..."

Weiss was quiet for a moment but when she realized the other girl was looking at her expectantly she cleared her throat. "What was she like? Summer I mean. If you don't mind me asking that is."

Yang sighed shaking her head at the girl changing the subject again. "I could probably find you a picture if I looked hard enough, but she almost always has a white hood covering her face. Summer was shy and usually too busy taking everyone else's pictures to be in them, and was a pretty good photographer if you hadn't noticed."

Weiss tilted her head and blinked. "Wait, _she_ was the one who took that indecent picture of your mother!?" Yang nodded cheerfully. "I-I thought you said it'd been your father."

"All he did was push the button and drool. Summer was the one who got Mom set, the lighting just right, and made sure the camera was idiot proof for him. That kind of stuff was how Mom and Summer paid for tuition without having to rely on student aid, or as the schools call them ' _scholarships'_." She gave the heiress a knowing look. "Usually it was just my mom posing, but occasionally she'd _convince_ Summer get in on the fun too. Of course they used fake names and wore wigs and contact lenses so they didn't get in trouble with the school. I've thought about doing it myself actually. Unfortunately we don't have many of those pictures left, and none of the videos, and my dad and uncle either don't know which magazines and sites they shot for or like they always tease us they don't want me and Rubes seeing something that'll ruin how we look at our moms. Like that could ever happen. But to answer your question, think of Ruby just a little taller and _slightly_ less squeaky voice."

"But what was she _like_?"

Yang shrugged. "I dunno know. Nice? The best mom a smart-mouth stepdaughter could ask for? I mean, she was shy, like _really_ shy, but she was always great around little kids. She taught basics for a little while at Signal, and sometimes taught at the school house in Patchwork. To be honest she was like a little kid herself."

"She sounds like Ruby." Weiss smiled to herself.

"Yeah-" She grinned back, "but Ruby's really come out of her shell these past few months, and that's mostly because of you, Weiss. And thank you."

The heiress looked down blushing and playing with her thumbs.

"To be honest I don't think Summer ever really came out of her's. She loved people, she really did, but looking back I get the feeling she never fully trust them. Besides her teammates but especially my mom, and the person who recruited her to Signal, I don't think she ever really got close to anybody." She paused for a moment to find her voice and blink away tears before speaking again. "I don't know the full story, and I'm not really sure that I want to, but from what my dad and uncle tell me, even by team RWBY standards Summer had a rough childhood..."

Weiss swallowed not exactly sure if she wanted to know what that meant either considering the implications, but began creating a mental image of the woman. She imagined the shy, childlike demeanor of her partner as well as the motormouth that only seemed to close in front of strangers. She also imagined the happy-go-lucky attitude that was only ever interrupted by brief bouts of melancholy where she had a faraway look about her as though she was tuning the entire world out.

At first Weiss had found all those traits insufferable, finding Ruby Rose as nothing more than an impudent child who didn't listen or pay attention to what was happening around her, but eventually came to understand her and accept that was just who she was, and found herself fond if not admiring her for those qualities. It still irritated her to no end though...

"Summer was born in the badlands of Vacuo but she ran away from home to live with her grandmother in Patchwork. Heh, I always thought it was kinda funny naming your daughter after what kingdom they're born in..."

"Excuse you?" she replied sounding offended, "What's wrong with my sister being named after _our_ kingdom? Or half the women in our family for that matter?"

"Nothing, but your family's a little more _traditional_ than most are. For those of us who don't have pedigrees going back over a thousand years, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and yes Winter are sorta like old fashioned nicknames. Grandparents calling their grand kids _'sweet summer child'_ is actually pretty common in Vacuo. Same for Spring in Mistral, and Autumn or Fall in Vale. I can _vaguely_ remember my grandma Ellie calling me her _'sweet spring child'_ actually. Nowadays though it's usually sarcastic like when someone's being a princess or drama queen. The names do come from fairy tale princesses after all. I-I mean if you believe that sort of thing..."

"Oh..." She coughed awkwardly. "So you don't think _'Summer'_ was her real name?"

"I know for sure _'Rose'_ wasn't because that was her grandmother's name. Summer got away from a hell hole and I think she wanted a brand new life, and I also think we know someone who can relate to that." They glanced over at the opposite bed and Weiss felt a lump in her throat. She knew of course that the poisonous flower _'Belladonna'_ wasn't the girl's family name as she had never known her family, but besides the night she ran away and mistrust clouded Weiss' mind, she had never considered that _'Blake'_ might not actually have been her name before coming to Beacon either, and couldn't help feeling a bit unsettled.

"What about in combat?" she asked, knowing that would perk Yang up and distract her own naturally suspicious mind.

"Oh she was an terrific support fighter. Kinda like you, Weiss." She looked over to see her blushing again. "Her combat ratings were just above average like her aura levels, but her smarts, semblance, and aura manipulation more than made up for it. She could mimic my mom and our dad and uncle's weapons and even powers, which makes for one a _hell_ of a versatile supporter and healer even if she couldn't keep it up for very long."

"Do you know what other kinds of glyphs she used by chance? Besides-"

"You mean besides her ' _counterfeit'_ summoning glyphs?"

Weiss flinched. "Okay, I'll admit using a combination of purple and yellow dust in tandem with _traditional_ summoning glyphs to create photokinetic or _'hard-light'_ constructs of your teammates' weapons to use yourself and mimicking their auras and semblances is clever though perhaps a _bit_ unconventional, but I'm willing to keep an open mind considering I can barely summon my grandfather's greatsword with white dust for any more than a few seconds without having an aneurysm."

"Fair enough, and to answer your question, _no_. As far as I know Summer was never able to use any other kind of glyph, except maybe transference but you told me that has more to do with aura manipulation, but I do know she _could_ use white summons like your family. It just wore her out and like you just about made her head explode. She could fake a haste glyph with her grandmother's and later my uncle's semblance though, and a fire glyph with my dad's. She was so good at it she was even able to get the better of them in the Vytal Festival's senior bracket."

"That's what Ruby said, but how? No disrespect to Summer, but us supporters tend to not make it very far in the tournament compared to you front line fighters. We just don't have the aura pools, the stamina, or sometimes even the right semblances. No matter how good we are we're just too easily overwhelmed by stronger, more durable opponents, or by the sheer number of Grimm." She cringed and scolded herself as it slipped out, but either Yang didn't catch what she said or was kindly pretending she hadn't. "And w-what about _your_ mom? Didn't you say something the other night about her semblance making yours look like a joke in comparison?"

"Yeah pretty much, but back when the tournament was still annual Mom never wanted to move past the team or doubles rounds, and decided not to compete in the senior singles bracket. She was always scared of losing control of her semblance and seriously hurting someone, and she didn't like how some people looked at her when she was _focused_." Yang's flickered red but just for show again. "Just like how it took a while when us regular humans first discovered the faunus, it took a while for the other kingdoms to accept that native Vacuoans were just like them just with darker skin and red eyes, but I guess for some it was and still is a little _off-putting_ seeing someone's pupils disappear when they go into a blood rage."

"I suppose that's one way of putting it..."

"Anyway, if you think _I'm_ a heavy hitter, you ought to stop tuning out me and Ruby's stories about our dad and uncle. Nobody thought Summer stood a chance for the reasons you just said, but she knew her teammates better than they knew themselves, or better than she even knew _herself_ to be honest. And don't tell my sister, but I don't think Dad or our uncle gave it their all. They'd both been to the finals before, actually they faced off the year before, and I think they decided it was her turn. Summer was great don't get me wrong, and on any other team she probably would've been a front line fighter because even _I'd_ be a supporter on that team, but n _obody_ beats our uncle, especially not back then."

"And that's why Ruby's wants one of us to win the Vytal Festival so badly," Weiss sighed. "She wants to be just like her..."

Yang nodded. "Ever since I can remember Rubes has wanted to be _exactly_ like her. She already looks like her, but she pretty much wears the same clothes, basically has the same aura, and she even has the same squeaky voice. And hell, she even writes her _'Rs'_ the same."

"She also took her mother's maiden name, or her great-grandmother's name I suppose. Despite marrying- well you know..."

"Yeah, that too," she said slowly, "but there's a bit more to it that just wanting to be like her mom and her team..."

"Like what?"

Yang bit her lip in thought. "Listen, we don't talk about it very much and I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but our family's not exactly rich. I'm not saying we ever dug through trash cans like Blake or my mom and uncle did, and I'm definitely not gonna complain, but things haven't always been easy for us. After Summer died our dad and uncle stopped going to work and bills and debts started piling up, and they've always been stupid with money anyway. It's only been the past year or so we've been able to catch up again, but now we're paying for _two_ girls' tuition to Beacon instead of just one, and as much as I _adore_ Bumblebee, they're both idiots for buying her as a graduation present for me. Yeah Rubes wants to be like her mom so bad it hurts, and I'd like make her, _my_ mom, and our dad and uncle proud too, but if we could make names for ourselves in the Vytal Festival as freshmen that means getting potential employers' attention. That means more money and better jobs, and the harder the job the more likely an employer is to hire more than one huntsman, and those kinds of jobs usually only go to the very top of each class. A lot of the time the lesser teams or partners have to split the pay because only one of them was hired. I know that doesn't sound like much to you, but for Rubes and _especially_ me, and maybe Blake, that means a _lot_."

"I-I'm sorry. I hadn't really thought about any of that..."

"It's not your fault, and I probably shouldn't have said anything. Ruby's not worried about making money, but I am and she wants me happy and us together after we graduate. Other than that all she wants is to make the world a better place, and would be happy living in another cozy cottage with a strawberry garden like she grew up in, but I want to live in a _real_ house someday. Not in some guest dorm or cabin the school lets us rent for cheap. I want to be able to buy things when they're not on sale and go shopping even I don't have coupons. The Vytal Festival's a measuring stick for all huntsmen in-training, and all future employers will be watching. The more we can stand out from the competition the better our chances of getting better jobs and being hired _together._ And whether that's as freelancers or contracted somewhere will be entirely up to us. No more table scraps, no more handouts, and no more cutting corners..."

"If that's all that Ruby wants," Weiss said quietly, "then it sounds like she really is like her mom."

"She really is," Yang agreed, wiping her nose. "Unfortunately she inherited her great-grandmother's semblance, or close to it from what I've been told, and she _sucks_ at aura manipulation. Summer on the other hand was _so freaking_ good at it she was able to unlock our auras earlier than most kids do, and could even mimic our semblances before we or anyone else knew what they were gonna be." She let out a loud snort. "Heh, poor Rubes. This one time the three of us were playing tag in the cottage when she activated her semblance accidentally and smacked the coffee table at like twenty miles an hour. She started crying but Summer just waved her hand and made the boo-boo all better again, and then the two cheaters started running around me again. She'd even do the same for my knuckles when I first started putting holes in the walls..."

"She sounds like a really sweet woman," Weiss said quietly, reaching out and grabbing her hand, "and a really great mom."

Yang nodded and turned to face her again. "And you remind Ruby of her a whole lot you know."

"That's what her report said, but-" Her head whipped up not realizing she'd spoken aloud. "B-but I don't see how that's even remotely possible."

"Well..." Yang drawled, "maybe it has something to do with your glyphs and wearing all white, but if I were a betting girl and I am, I'd put everything I have on you being really sweet too, Weiss."

The heiress turned her head. "I'm not sweet, and if your idiotic sister keeps pushing herself like today she's going to wind up in even worse shape."

Yang couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle as the girl attempted to keep up appearances despite her morose tone and hints of getting choked up. "When Rubes gets back don't sugar coat it for her. She'd probably just eat that too."

"Like you have any room to talk."

"What can I say?" She patted her chest with a wide grin. "Built for comfort and pleasure, not speed."

"I'm being serious!" Weiss snapped with the ice in her eyes suddenly melting. "As happy and relieved as I am that Blake didn't go through with the plan, I know in my heart that was the wrong decision. Now she's going to be in even worse pain, and I don't know if I can take any more..."

Yang remained quiet as she watched the girl wiping her eyes. She squeezed her hand. "I'm being serious too, Weiss. I love that little girl more than anything and I would _do_ _anything_ to protect her, or at least I thought I would..." She swallowed. "All the huntresses in our family have died young, and at this rate neither of us is gonna outlive our moms. But as much as I'd like to break her legs so she lives a long life away from the business, I'd rather see her happy, and I've never seen her happier than here at Beacon and here with _you_. Summer never wanted this kind of life for her, but I think she was proof that this business follows our family whether we're in it or not. Our dad and uncle have talked to us about the risks of being huntresses since I can remember to make sure this is what we really want and pushed us to our limits to make sure we're ready. If a Grimm doesn't kill her first she's probably gonna pop her heart from going too fast, and if I haven't done the same at that point then I'll die of a broken heart. And that's why we've got you and Blake..."

"It won't come to that..."

"Weiss," she said gently, "this is the only kind of life Rubes and I have ever wanted, and I can't imagine either of us retiring unless we're _forced_ to. Except if-" Her face brightened and she cleared her throat. "My idea of a happily-ever-after is falling in love with a man who worships me and treats me like their queen but doesn't put up with any of my BS, and who I don't have to worry about turning to ashes when things get _physical_ between us. _If_ I ever find that man I'm not making the same mistake as my mom. I'm retiring on the spot and starting a family with him. But I think Ruby's idea of a happily-ever-after is the four of us together as old crones and a corgi, but outside of that I think she wants to die saving someone's life just like her mom. Which is why I'm hoping Ruby takes after her mom in _another_ way."

Weiss raised a curious brow.

"I want to be Auntie Yang." She smiled sheepishly. "I want it to be with someone she loves of course, and _preferably_ not just some one night stand between grieving friends like what happened between Dad and Summer, but I know that's the one thing on Remnant that would make Ruby leave the huntsmen without a single regret because I saw the same thing happen to Summer when she threw away her badge and became supermom. From our dad and uncle's stories it doesn't sound like Summer was the kind of person who falls in love and I don't think she was all that interested in guys, and they're probably the furthest thing from Ruby's mind too. If it happens I hope it's a _LONG_ time from now and with the person she loves, and that they get married, preferably beforehand, so I can plan the wedding, but I just wanna see my Ruby that happy someday..."

"So do I..."

 _*sniffle*_

Weiss removed her thumb from the silver rod of the music box she'd been turning absently, and Yang stifled a yawn as the song began playing again. She shut her eyes tightly until it ended and heard the box close, and feeling the mattress lift up slightly she caught a glimpse of the music box being tucked away for safekeeping.

"Mother had a very beautiful singing voice," Weiss said quietly. "She was professionally trained of course and most people think I just inherited just another one of her special talents, but actually I take after Father..."

Yang finished blinking the mist from her eyes and turned to the girl who was smoothing the wrinkles of her skirt.

"When I was a little girl I'd walk by his office and hear him singing Christmas carols even in the middle of summer. Something he picked up from Papa I suppose. One day I started a duet with him and we sang together until late at night when I fell asleep in his lap and he carried me to bed..." Her lip twitched. "Later he hired private tutors to go along with my violin, piano, and dance lessons. Singing helped strengthen my lungs, and soon after I began performing at all the SDC charity events, and once in a great while he'd even practice with me. But after Mother and my brother passed I never heard him sing again..."

She scooted closer to the blonde and looked up. "Someday Father will find the White Fang members that did this to me," she said matter-of-factly, running her fingertips over the scar, "and when he does there will be hell to pay."

Yang swallowed and nodded stiffly. "My dad would do the same thing..."

"I'll think about what you said, and the next time he calls I'll _consider_ answering."

Again she nodded. "That's all I'm asking, Weiss. Just let him know that you're alright. He cares about you, he just-"

"When I told Father my intentions of becoming a huntress-" Weiss said seemingly ignoring her, "and showed him all the letters of interest from the academies I'd received he threw them in my face before storming off. Later after watching me practice for some time he spoke with General Ironwood and humored me by hiring combat tutors. Up until that point I'd simply been practicing my fencing and glyphs on old Atlesian Knights, and occasionally with Winter whenever we'd see each other, but part of me always dreaded that because I thought she was an unfair teacher. With the tutors however I saw Grimm for the very first time in person, and after getting over my initial terror I truly thought I was going to be the next prodigious huntress of this generation, but now I see that everyone but my sister was treating me with kid gloves, and that I was partnered _with_ that huntress and her just as talented if not more, ill tempered, kindhearted big sister..."

They caught each other's eye and the heiress stared at her seemingly enamored for a moment. "Just as Father was preparing my application to Polaris, I went behind his back and applied to Beacon instead. To say he was furious would be an understatement, and he went so far as to say I was tarnishing the family legacy by being the first Schnee not to receive their huntress training from the school we founded two centuries ago. A legacy mind you that isn't even really his, which I reminded him of..."

Her hand raised and touched the left side of her face. "And the last time we spoke was when I was leaving for Vale, and he told me that we'd speak again after the school year was over about reapplying to Polaris, and then he told me to leave. He didn't even look at me..."

"Weiss-"

"Yang, at Polaris my training would be entirely a formality and I'd be working strictly for the benefit of the SDC, and my entire huntress career would be just for show. I'm proud that I'm carrying on _my_ family's tradition and _our_ legacy even if much of it is just a facade, but I came to Beacon to try and do some good in the world while I still can. After graduation my four year huntress tour will consist of rubbing shoulders with high society and getting to know learning everything there is to know about our company's security. Hardly _real_ or respectable huntress work."

"Which is what you are," she affirmed, "and someday you're gonna be the most powerful woman in the world."

Weiss coughed awkwardly. "Thank you, but I'm really not, or at least I won't be. And the same goes for the latter."

The larger girl raised her brow curiously and Weiss sighed as though the answer should be obvious. "Mother was a lieutenant in the Atlesian Specialist Huntsmen unit and a _respectable_ huntress when her older brother and sister died and Papa first began having problems with his health. She took a leave of absence to help run the company and marry a brilliant businessman she didn't love and have children she never asked for, and eventually had to retire because of her own health. Winter is currently going against the family tradition of being the eldest. It was expected of her to graduate from Polaris and serve with ASH before taking her place in the company while I followed Mother's footsteps of being an actual huntress, but now she's a colonel on the fast track of making Brigadier General, and the SDC is now even more intertwined with the military and government than when Papa ran it. When General Ironwood retires she'll take _his_ position as headmistress of Polaris, Grand Marshal of Atlas' registered huntsmen, Commander-in-Chief of the Winter Kingdom, as well as dozens of other titles. The only thing she'll be missing is a crown made of sapphire and diamonds on her head and a throne made of ivory to sit on..."

Yang stared at her speechless and hints of worry on her face.

"She and her future husband will be on the SDC's board of directors but I'll be handling the day to day operations as CEO and president. This is something Father, the majority of my family, and powerful people calling themselves _loyalists_ have been planning for a _very_ long time, and Papa is rolling in his grave right now because it's the one thing he was afraid of. I'm sure you know full well what happened the _last_ time my family had that kind of power."

"Yes," she answered stiffly. "Blake might've said a thing or two about that..."

"Anyway, after we graduate my years as a huntress will be spent overseeing the SDC security and going months without seeing Grimm, and I'll likely never see you three ever again, unless..."

"Unless?"

Weiss eyes sparkled. "I-I'd understand if Blake wouldn't be able to accept on principal, but how would you and Ruby feel about coming with me. It won't be the most exciting huntress work, but you'll get to travel around the world and be _well_ compensated for babysitting the future head of the company."

"Weiss, I-I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. Three years is a long time from now, and I'd completely understand if you don't want to, but I'd _really_ appreciate it if you'd at least say you'll consider-."

Yang laughed and slowly ticked off her fingers. "Traveling the world, getting rich, and being surrounded by filthy rich, good-looking men? Sign me up! I can't speak for Blake, and you'll probably have to pester her about it, but maybe the two of you can finally build that bridge between the humans and faunus she's always dreamed of. And you already you know Ruby will follow you to hell and back if it means irritating you just awhile longer. And yes I have talked to her about it, and yes she is pretty much oblivious to it."

The heiress snorted in an unladylike manner and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank you, and while you sister's still too young to come work for us, the company has enough issues with breaking labor laws at the moment, I might have a summer job for you if you're interested."

"Weiss-" She shook her head. "We're your friends. As much as we appreciate it, like _really_ appreciate it, none of us like using you just for your wallet or your company. Okay, sometimes we do, but that's not fair to you."

"Life isn't fair. Like you say we're friends, and this is what friends do for each other. Money is no object to me and spending it on you three is no trouble, especially compared to how much you all mean to me. It's the very least I can do. And you haven't even heard what the job entails."

"Okay, what is it?"

Weiss made a huffing sound as she sat up straight and the air of nobility returned and surrounded her. "Well, instead of posing for some risque magazine or on the internet while wearing a disguise that'll fool nobody seeing how you already prance around in your skimpy undergarments everywhere you go, and a disguise that simply won't do the _real_ Yang justice, I propose you come work for me this summer. The SDC already owns several clothing brands and is always in need of new models, and I'm considering starting up a new one in time for _swimsuit season_..." Yang's eyes widened. "It wouldn't be against Beacon's rules, but even if it is let me handle it. I could also find Blake a job somewhere if she'd be willing. We do own a couple of libraries, but I'd understand if she couldn't accept."

"I-I don't know what to say, Weiss."

"Just say you'll think about it. Facing the prospect of spending my so-called vacation with Father doesn't excite me, and I'd rather spend it with my friends while learning more about the company hands on without his oversight. And this will keep me out of those trashy gossip columns when they inevitably discover your identity and that I'm your teammate..." she muttered.

Yang wrapped her arms around her and squeezed. "I take it back! You're totally one of my top ten besties!"

It was only with the briefest hesitation that Weiss embraced her back and buried her face in the crook of her neck. When they finally released one another and the last of their aura separated, Weiss stared up at the panting girl beaming. "Yang, I think I know how it must feel to be your sister, and maybe a little of what she's going through right now. I have a beautiful and talented older sister whose shadow I'll never get out of, was for lack of a better word _raised_ by a single parent, and everyone looks at me like I'm different and don't belong. Four months ago I wanted nothing more than to be team RWBY's main front line fighter and the leader you all looked up to and depended on, but that person ended up becoming your sister. And for the first week of school I was absolutely furious because I was too stubborn to admit that it takes more than just perfect grades to be a leader, and I'm not saying this is exactly how she feels, but I had to learn to accept that I'm the weak link on this team and-."

"No you're-"

"-I'm by far _physically_ the weakest, and had to transition into being the team's supporter because I couldn't handle being on the front lines. I have by far the lowest aura pool on the team, and I-"

" _Had_ the lowest aura pool," Yang corrected somberly to the puzzled heiress. "You passed Ruby not too long after the mission..."

"That's only because her aura is practically zero right now."

"See for yourself."

Despite her absolute certainty, Weiss glanced at her wrist scroll almost afraid of what she'd see, and reluctantly pressed the screen to view the team's statistics.

"You were on the front line with me for a _long_ time holding your own against hordes of Grimm, which have always scared you more than the rest of us. You had to manage your aura consumption and pace yourself _perfectly_ , and you gained a hell of a lot of something you'd been missing."

"Experience?"

" _Confidence_." Yang gave her a gentle nudge. "Confidence in yourself. A month ago you would've still fought conservatively with me, but you _might've_ won today if I hadn't pulled a muscle and needed to end things."

"It's not _that_ big of a jump," she said modestly, seeing the rough numbers compare to her partner's from the last time they'd been max. "Aura doesn't just increase because of combat conditions."

Yang shrugged. "It does a _little_ bit, which is one reason Goodwitch pushes us so hard, but you were using aura reserves you didn't even know you had and creating glyphs with a fraction of the aura you used to."

"Most of which were sloppy and crude." At the cut down of herself and skills she received a dirty look. "But I suppose they were effective enough..."

"Weiss, you probably used over a hundred glyphs in that battle after spending two days on a mission where you barely slept and despite having a sensitive bladder I'm pretty sure waited till we got back home to pee. Remember how just a month ago you couldn't create a couple dozen elementals without nearly passing out? Or just one or two of your specialized glyphs without your head exploding? Not including your elementals and all the freaky stuff you can do with gravity, you also used haste and telekinetic glyphs to the point you ran out of dust, and also summoned what Ruby gushed was _'the biggest and most awesome sword that's not a sword-gun'_ she had ever seen. Which for some reason you don't like to talk about and practically begged us not to tell anyone what you did, or that you're the one that finished off the Alpha King Taijitu."

"I just don't want my family to find out...

"And if that's what you want we won't push you, but the biggest reason your aura shot up so much is because now you know exactly who you are."

"I've always known who I am," she huffed indignantly.

The larger girl looked down at her skeptically, and gradually Weiss' shoulders slumped. "So after deciding that you were the weak link on this team, you knew deep down that you're not too far from being its biggest powerhouse? Or that everyone who swings a sword in this school watches you and takes notes? Including Pyrrha? Or that your _'prodigious'_ partner occasionally _borrows_ Myrtenaster when you're not looking and pretends she's _you_?"

Weiss lowered her head and remained silent.

"You've always known that underneath the _Ice Queen_ is a girl who's genuinely warm and nice? You always knew that people didn't need to be paid to be your friend? Or didn't need anything in return? That maybe some of us would _want_ to be your friend?"

Besides a small sniffling sound she didn't respond.

"We wear our souls on our sleeves, Weiss, and that's what give us power. If someone like us looks in the mirror and doesn't recognize what they see... or worse _hates_ themself, then they'll never be nearly as strong as they could be."

"That's easy for someone like you to say," she choked tearfully. "You've never gone a day in your life with so much as a bad hair day, much less a hideous scar covering half your face..."

Gently, calloused fingers grabbed her by the chin so she was looking at misty lilac. "I found out what kind of person I am a long time ago, and that's when I decided who I _wasn't_ going to be. And nobody calling me a _'blonde bimbo'_ , _'party girl'_ , _'rage-aholic'_ , or other _not-so-nice_ things people call girls like me can change that. If anyone thinks that way about me then they obviously don't know me, and I'd rather keep it that way."

"T-then why do you-"

"Why do I act like a ' _blonde, rage-aholic party girl_ who probably deserves half of things she's called'?" She gave a wry smile. "Why does Blake wear a bow, Ruby a hood, and you half a dozen layers of makeup?"

The heiress sniffled but found herself nodding.

"Then again..." Yang winked playfully. "I hate schoolwork and I really like punching things. I _really_ like guys calling me pretty and giving me the attention, probably because I never really got it at home, and I get all _tingly_ inside seeing them drool over what they can't touch." She wiped something from her eye but continued smiling. "I also happen to appreciate the taste of a strawberry sunrise while waiting for coffee to brew, and hearing my baby sister and our best friends laugh is music to my ears."

Weiss tried to look away but Yang still had her by the chin, and so she settled on staring up at her partner's bunk. Yang must've felt as her point had been made as she released her, but not seconds later did the heiress feel a sharp pain in her shoulder.

"Ow!" Her eyes widened and she stared at the girl and her tight fist while rubbing the point of impact. "What was that for!"

Yang smiled but it was offset by her eyes flickering. " _That_ was for calling yourself ugly and your scar hideous." She held her by the chin again and leaned forward kissing her atop her left eye then her cheek, leaving the heiress breathless as she felt warm aura pass from her lips. "Weiss, you are not ugly and your scar does not make you ugly. Summer once told me that the point of sharing your aura with three other people is to see yourself how they see you, and my baby sister thinks the absolute world of you. And so do Blake and I..."

She embraced her again letting Weiss get lost in what little aura she had left after practice, and before releasing her shivered as the gesture was returned in full.

Weiss coughed and needlessly adjusted her attire as the two struggled for air and felt the sudden ache from their sore muscles.

"Does Ruby know who she really is?" she sniffled. "Ever since the mission...she hasn't been the same..."

Yang opened her mouth to speak but abruptly closed it. "Not yet..." she said simply before using the girl for leverage and bouncing off the bed back onto her feet. She stumbled for a moment favoring her bandaged right leg while hugging left arm tightly against her chest, and quickly found herself wondering how her sister had managed to handle Crescent Rose in her current state as she herself hadn't even considered loading Ember Celica.

"If you don't mind I think I'm gonna skip the nap and soak in the tub till they get back. Everything hurts, and for some reason Blake doesn't appreciate sleeping under sweaty girls. Heh, that's funny 'cause it's true. Either that or she just really likes my soaps, shampoos, and conditioners."

"Trust me, it's the former, but being a faunus and your partner I'm sure the latter has something to do with it." She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief then blew. "And you're breaking the dibs rule by the way, which we all agreed is a punishable offense."

"You can take the shower if you want." Yang glanced back at her with a not-so-innocent smile. "That is if you don't mind being watched getting in and out or through the glass. You know how claustrophobic I get when the curtains are pulled around the tub, and how is screws up my sinuses. If you'd like we could share the tub like me and Rubes back in the day. Or that time in the locker room showers when I was _finally_ able to sneak up on miss cat hearing."

Weiss didn't respond nor did she even blink to the blonde's chagrin.

"So..." she drawled thinking fast. "Does the lightweight have a preference of where all we go clubbing next week for my birthday? _'Every Body, Needs Some Bawdy'_ has this thing they do for birthday boys and girls where they bring you this MASSIVE cake and out pops a-"

Yang ducked underneath a pillow as the scarlet faced heiress hiding a sheepish smile attempted to take her head off. "I'll have you know that we Schnees can hold our liqueur quite well thank you very much. And thinking about what you said, I wouldn't mind getting the kind of attention you spoke of earlier myself. Also, it's entirely possible I may have already ordered you an Atlesian chocolate cake..."

Yang squealed in delight and tossed the pillow back, hitting the girl square in the chest and knocking her backward so her legs flew in the air.

"It's gonna be awhile until I have that kind of aura," she said humbly, sitting up with head down and speaking into the pillow.

"You'll get there. I might not have had tutors back at Signal, but I did have a combat instructor who put me through living hell to get me where I am today." She shook her head. "Sometimes I'm not sure if it's because he just didn't want me to end up like my mom and stepmom, or if it was some kind of sadistic payback for everything his sister put him through. My aura has already just about plateaued but it still has a year or two of developing left, and when it's done I'm gonna beat the red out of his eyes and break his stupid sniper-scythe in two and watch him and Ruby cry over it."

As she bathed in the daydream rubbing her hands together impatiently, Weiss swallowed a thought. It was well known around the school that the sisters' uncle was in his nearly unheard of fifth tour of duty as a full time registered huntsman with Signal Academy, and was an almost mythological figure of sorts around Vale, but for Weiss it was difficult to take the tall-tales about him seriously. She and Blake also couldn't decide if being drunk in all of them explained a lot or made them just that more impressive...

"Your uncle must be pretty incredible considering yourself and your sister."

Yang smiled with pride but chuckled nervously as though that might've been the understatement of the century. "My Uncle Qrow graduated from Beacon with the highest combat rating the school's ever seen, and became the first freshman to win the Vytal Festival and the first and only to ever win it three years in a row. He taught me everything I know about my semblance, but while I learned most of my aura and combat training from our Dad, he took Ruby under his wing and now she's at Beacon Academy two years early and has one of the top five combat ratings in the class, _and_ she's the youngest team leader in the school's history. If she were seventeen and had let her aura develop more, and finished her scythe training for that matter, I'd be the one sleeping on the bottom bunk back home and there wouldn't be a darn thing I could do about it."

"She's incredible," Weiss agreed. "I suppose I've never really given it much thought, but I'm kinda surprised you weren't accepted early."

Yang rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Yeah, well, Rubes is...special, and she was recruited by Ozpin himself." She shifted her weight uncomfortably. "I got offers from Haven and Shade my junior year, but I had my eyes set on Beacon, and they're _picky_ since almost all the kids that get accepted here early get sent back for more training. Ruby's kinda the exception, but even if I gotten accepted, she and Dad still needed me at home."

She let out a long sigh followed by a moment of silence. "Those sound like excuses though. The truth is Ozpin or whoever probably wasn't interested because I was still a bit of a screw up back then. I hadn't gotten all the partying out of my system, and hadn't _mellowed_ yet."

Weiss stood up. "Mellowed? You?"

Yang smirked at her. "Overconfident and red eyes don't really go together, and neither does skipping class to sunbathe on the beach or sleep off a hangover. Or both."

"So in other words nothing's changed? If we were closer to the ocean that's where you'd be right now."

"I wouldn't knock the beach like that. It was the one place I could go to be away from all the problems at home but still be within earshot when something else inevitably went wrong." When Weiss looked up with an apologetic smile Yang grinned back and winked. "It also has scenic views and guys all too willing to help with sunscreen. And I wouldn't say _nothing's_ changed. I have a close friend who's helped teach me how to control my emotions better and keep a _cool_ head. Our powers might practically be _polar_ opposites, but we're a lot alike in a lot of ways."

Weiss looked down blushing while Yang took a step toward the fridge. "How about you order some pizza for tonight? Just be sure to ask for extra anchovies for Blake. She totally deserves it, and tell them to pick us up some movies on the way, and some bandages. I think someone's been double dipping..."

"Oh, I know! Let's have another DSNY marathon!"

Yang couldn't help chuckling at the girl's newfound obsession. "Just anything but _'Bumbie'_. I rented it a few years ago and ended up burning it for making Ruby cry and scream _'Bumbie's mom!'_ for like a freaking month. God, I hate movie..."

"Let's see..." She opened her scroll looking at a long list with check-marks beside some of the names. "We haven't seen half of the PIXR movies, or FRZN, or-"

"Before that though you might wanna wash your sheets. Otherwise we're all gonna have to pile into Blake's bed or bring one down."

"Huh?"

"Your skid mark." She pointed, and the heiress turned instantly horrified by the yellow powder-like substance staining her bedspread, and craned her neck around to see it had come from her bruised backside.

The blonde held her aching ribs as she laughed and bent down looking for something in the back of the fridge. "Dibs on the comforter and your new thousand count Vacuon cotton _electric_ blankets. Take it from me, getting yellow dust out of bedding is a pain in the _EEEEPP_!"

Yang shot straight up banging her head on the top of the fridge as it felt as though someone had just poured ice water down the front, back, and sides of her shorts, and had wrenched them down when she noticed the heiress smiling contently and blowing frost off her finger gun. "Nice birthmark you've got there. I believe you might've just sang in a higher pitch than even I can reach."

As she pulled her perfectly dry shorts back up with a bit of pink to her cheeks, Weiss indulged herself with high-pitched giggles watching the blonde barely able to stand as though her legs and perhaps nether regions had gone numb.

"Best two out of three?" Yang asked, grinning as her eyes turned red and the temperature rose.

Weiss took several white dust crystals out of her pouch, and took a deep breath as a glyph enveloped her and the temperature dropped momentarily. Panting, a sword hilt appeared in her hands, and from the glyph she retrieved a massive greatsword longer than she was tall. She matched the blonde's grin.

"Winner gets the bubble bath and Ruby's rubber duck..."

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. My _deepest_ apologies for the long delay, friends. This was a very long chapter, but it was also very important to me personally. I really love Yang and Weiss as characters, and I hope that shined through here. I absolutely love their sisterly relationship as it as well as their characters just have so much range. From them fighting over bathing arrangements to talking about their insecurities, to crying on the other's shoulder and shooting each other in the rear, I just love it. And as much as I enjoy the dynamic of them all training to be huntresses together, I must admit that I might enjoy seeing them as just normal(ish) teenage girls and the natural hi-jinx that would ensue ****from four _very_ different personalities sharing a bedroom and bathroom together, as well as their literal souls. I hope you enjoy it as well.**

 **I'm sorry to all Whitley fans who might've wanted to see his inclusion in this narrative, but sadly I just couldn't find a place for him, and I thought the secret tragedy of Weiss no longer being a big sister would make her bond with Yang and Ruby that more special. The big and little sisters/siblings she always wanted and wished she had. In regards to Willow Schnee, I've always liked the early theory** **that all of team RWBY's mothers are dead (or in Blake's case simply never having been a part of her life), and that being something that strengthens their bond. I also hope you enjoyed a little more insight to Summer, as well as her big sis, little sis relationship with Raven which has quickly become one of my favorites and I hope I get the opportunity to share with you someday. I won't get into what happened to Summer to make her run away from home and caused her not to trust others, or some of the other implications possibly hinted at, and I think this is something I'm content with leaving up to your personal interpretation for the moment. As always, I hope it wasn't taken too far and I hope you enjoyed my take on them.**

 **For those perhaps curious, I recently began writing a fun little side project titled "The Queen of Jurassic Park", which is a RWBY x Jurassic Park crossover. I also went back and edited/revised all forty chapters of "The Petals Scatter Now" to fix spelling and syntax errors and overall make for a more enjoyable experience. This was one reason why this chapter was so late, but another is because I'm also working on a sequel to "The Prodigal Stray" which I hope to share with you very soon. I've also been working very hard on a new introduction to "Remnants of Salvation"** **, and it is my current plan to eventually rename the current story "Remnants of Salvation - One Shot" as the original Chapters 2 & 3 will be reworked into Chapters 4 & 5 of a newer version of the story. This probably won't be happening for quite some time however as I'm rather busy with the before mentioned stories as well as Chapter 17, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that I am working on the story and I will give an update when the newer version is posted.**

 **As always thank you so very much everyone for all your support and _incredible_ patience, friends. ****All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless)**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Shadow of a Rose

* * *

 **(A/N: Hello again, friends. I just wanted to give a quick heads up that since Chapter 16 I've posted two new stories that you might enjoy. The first is a sequel to _"The Prodigal Stray"_ called _"The Twilight Dragon"_. It picks up shortly after where its predecessor left off with Blake comforting and caring for Yang as her health slowly deteriorates and they await the final doctor's visit that will determine whether Yang's arm can be repaired or if she'll need a cybernetic. The other is a collection of short stories (two at the moment) called "A Patchwork Rose", which encompasses the life of Summer Rose from her childhood in the badlands of Vacuo to her final days as Supermom. I hope you enjoy, and God bless)**

* * *

 _*ratatatatata*_

 _*click...*_

Blake lowered her pistol and narrowed her eyes down the firing range at the cluster of bullet holes in the wooden Beowolf-shaped target. A smile tugged on her lips seeing how much faster and smoother Gambol Shroud fired, and quietly thanked its mechanic.

While her weapon was by far the most versatile on the team, even the highest grade of ammunition it was capable of firing was next to worthless against armored Grimm, and without an imbuing of dust like Myrtenaster her blade too often bounced harmlessly off their thick hides. Killing _monsters_ however hadn't been the _Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe's_ purpose when being meticulously crafted. Its purpose was to overwhelm and confound unsuspecting victims with a myriad of attacks each one more varied and deadly than the last, and it had only been recently that Blake stopped thinking like an ambush predator and began using Gambol Shroud for _other_ reasons than it had originally been intended for.

The oversized cleaver was by far her most brutal form of attack, but it also acted as the sheath to her katana which she generally preferred wielding simultaneously for a stronger offense and more importantly, added defense. A black ribbon was clipped to the katana's hilt only a couple feet in length but the durable material could stretch several dozen more at her aura's discretion. And with the katana transforming into a more compact size the ribbon could be used as a whip or swung around like the chain scythe it was named for.

Gambol Shroud had also once been a reasonably powerful side-arm as well, able to use functionable recoil techniques like Crescent Rose and Ember Celica, but thankfully those days had _long_ passed.

After using the ribbon as a slingshot to behead a giant Nevermore Ruby had been drooling over the exotic weapon pleading with its owner for weeks to let her take it apart, and now Blake could kick herself for every day she hadn't indulged the weapon crazed girl. Despite Blake's affection for the weapon that had gotten her out of too many dangerous situations to count, Gambol Shroud had never exactly been _reliable_ as it jammed easily and malfunctioned often. Despite how often she disassembled it for maintenance she'd never had the proper cleaning equipment or replacement parts, and even if she had Blake doubted she had the ability to get it to work properly.

Ruby later told her that Gambol Shroud's creator had been more of an engineer than an actual weapon mechanic. Meaning they'd been a dreamer, someone who expected their creations to work just as fluidly as the blueprints did on paper, but had never actually accounted for obvious wear and tear, overheating, dirt and grime getting in between the moving parts, and the many other problems Ruby had long since found solutions for. It never even occurred to her that the weapon hadn't been intended for a _huntsman's_ way of life...

Without Blake's permission or even knowledge she had completely removed all recoil from the weapon, including its green dust mechanism for creating functionable recoil. Being a pistol it had only weighed it down and made it more cumbersome to aim consistently. She had also either reshaped and replaced many of the inner workings on account of them either being broken or missing entirely, which for Blake explained why most of the transformations had needed to be done by hand the past year or two.

It had taken a little while to grow accustomed to the lighter weight of her katana and pistol, and she hadn't exactly been _thankful_ of her mechanic's meddling initially, but now she couldn't imagine ever having to go back. With just a minuscule reduction in stopping power when there was little to none against armored Grimm to begin with, Ruby had modified the entire weapon so that it was much quieter even without a silencer and had almost zero recoil. As a faunus Blake had already been a deadly marksman even with terrible recoil and misaligned sights, but now she found it almost impossible to miss her target even when holding down the trigger thanks to its newly added fully automatic setting to go along with its semi-automatic and burst fire.

The magazines had also been greatly extended to make up for its much higher bullet consumption, and while it couldn't fire anything near the caliber of round that Crescent Rose or Ember Celica could being a sniper rifle and shotguns respectfully, Gambol Shroud could unload a barrage of explosive rounds in a Grimm before it even knew what hit it.

She turned her head at a nearby firing station still smiling. "Thanks, Ru-"

 _*KABLLOOOOM!*_

Blake jumped and cradled the sides head despite wearing hearing protection for both sets of ears, and shielded her eyes just as a fireball consumed what had once been a pack of Beowolves crudely spray painted on the sides of concrete blocks before having been blown apart if not entirely incinerated.

She blinked away tears as the red dust in the air irritated her eyes despite also wearing eye protection, and absently rubbed her left bicep as she watched the flames die out. Like Weiss she had always been rather wary around fire, though being around Yang was helping with in that regard, and even if it wouldn't ruin her katana Blake couldn't imagine ever imbuing it with red dust as Weiss did her rapier. Nor could she understand how the heiress could even stand to be around red dust imbued _anything_ for that matter.

After a few moments of staring at her own weapon with a sudden feeling of inadequacy, Blake turned and saw her leader swap magazines as she limped to another stall for a fresh target. Glancing down again Blake couldn't help feeling as though she were holding a straw and shooting spitballs compared to the _High Caliber Sniper Scythe_ that was also a viable cannon.

As Ruby set her rifle down on the little counter and dialed in her scope, Blake's sharp eyes squinted looking _far_ down the range at a concrete Beowolf with a red crayon dot on its forehead, and wasn't at all surprised when the caped-girl pulled the trigger and there was a hole where the dot had been.

She continued watching as the entire magazine was emptied into the target, and once the final bullet casing bounced onto the ground at her feet Blake covered her ears once more as a magazine with red arrows pointing away from the center was loaded.

 _*KABLLOOOOM!*_

Once the inferno died out and her heart stopped pounding against her chest Blake squinted at the smoldering crater where the target had once been standing. She then glanced back seeing that Ruby been pushed backward several feet despite the adjustable recoil having been lowered, and bent down slightly trying to peek underneath the red hood.

Ruby's face was impassive as if unimpressed by the fireworks, and Blake knew something must be deeply troubling the childlike girl who was normally like a kid in a candy store at the firing range. Of course she preached and practiced gun safety as though they were sacred commandments brought down on stone tablets by her uncle, but she'd often make up games to amuse herself such as hanging upside down while shooting or make obscene bets to fund her next candy store visit.

When they first arrived earlier that day Ruby had done as she'd said and began testing her newest ammunition for Crescent Rose. They were explosive rounds made from light blue dust that formed large ice casings much like when Weiss used her semblance in tandem with her bullets to incapacitate foes, or as they called it _'Ice Flower'_. It was no surprise to Blake that Ruby had hit her target perfectly on the very first try, and after emptying several magazines with the temperature gauge for the barrel not budging it had been even less of a surprise when she had decided to swap to something a little more _impressive_. Long days and nights spent laboring in the machine shop modifying Crescent Rose had been a success, and Ruby never shied away from a celebratory explosion, or _explosions_ for that matter, but Blake could sense something was deeply wrong even if the other girl was keeping her dwindling aura to herself.

As awkward as her attempts may have been Blake _had_ tried engaging her in conversation, but after a failed attempt at small talk, which she self-admittedly had never been very good at it, and asking if she was alright after pointing out her limping and favoring her left shoulder again, Ruby had answered with a curt _'I'm fine'_ before reloading her cannon and shooting the head off a Beowolf cut-out. She decided to give Ruby some space after that...

Blake knew all her teammates were hiding the worst of their injuries and were feeling the effects of their first training session together in weeks and with such low aura. They did it virtually every day of their lives, including herself, but times like these were of the few occasions she counted herself lucky being born a faunus. Her muscles and bones were stronger and could take more stress than the average wiry teenage girl, which also meant she didn't get nearly as sore and stiff as her teammates who were all likely to soak in the bathtub tonight.

Unlike the sisters she also didn't have to worry about her semblance tearing her body apart, and could even do most of her acrobatics naturally without the addition of aura, unlike Weiss who despite once being a champion gymnast now relied almost entirely on aura to complete her graceful routines due to a combination of age, lingering injuries, no longer training daily, and actually eating occasionally. Blake had injuries too of course, as well as a few thin scars scattered about her body just like everyone else who _wasn't_ named Yang Xiao long, but she knew the day was soon coming when she'd no longer land on her feet with quite the same ease, and was hoping her faunus heritage would continue offsetting the enormous demands put on her body. And seeing Ruby limp to another station Blake couldn't help once again feeling guilty that all her friends were wearing scars from the mission when she wore so few and were so minor in comparison.

Blake was a support fighter of the utility variety, meaning her role on the team differed between each fight. She didn't have anywhere near the Grimm slaying prowess as the sisters to be on the front lines, meaning she didn't engage them nearly as often, and couldn't back her teammates up or defend their flanks the same way Weiss could with her glyphs and dust imbued rapier. Her speed complimented Yang's raw strength and mixed seamlessly with Weiss' nimbleness and skill with a blade as well as Ruby's speed and ability to kill weakened or preoccupied Grimm in a single blow. Blake was the team's jack of all trades in a sense, the _'utility player'_ , but while her role was undefined she _was_ the team's lead scout, and as she had just proven a little while earlier their saboteur...

In a single motion Blake transformed her pistol back into a katana, briefly appreciating the smooth transition before sheathing over her shoulder it and stepping into the shadows which seemed to swallow her and where she always felt most at home. There she began to study the limping girl who reeked of wilting roses...

* * *

Ruby was only vaguely aware of the shadowy presence hovering over her as she silently dragged her feet from station to station. Crescent Rose had passed all the field tests flawlessly and vindicated all her hard work, but her real reason for coming to the firing range was still weighing heavily on her mind, and she had precious little time left being able to stand on her feet.

She considered wandering next door to the machine shop to work on Crescent Rose's shotgun attachment which she had never gotten to work quite right, but knew she would likely be shadowed and have to be on her _best_ behavior there as well. Even so it was tempting.

The sniper-scythe had been modeled after her uncle's as much as possible, but having a penchant for accessories and both herself and Crescent Rose being a foot shorter than their respective counterparts meant some mechanisms just didn't scale down well. In rifle form both sniper-scythes also doubled as pump action shotguns, but her's was there mostly for novelty and because she liked the sound the pump made. However she would never admit this to her already suspicious teammates.

The fore-end attachment could feed a dozen shells into the rifle's barrel but they weren't anywhere near as powerful as her sniper ammunition, and reloading was next to impossible in the middle of a combat situation but was made even more impractical by having to rummage through an overfilled ammo belt for both magazines _and_ shells. Even in breaching and clearing practice which she _hated_ due to being nearly uselessness in corridor fights, her larger caliber rounds were still more practical as they were an almost guaranteed one-shot-kill at such close range and if necessary she could use her scythe for added protection. However even that was dangerous as it put her at risk of bumping into her teammates who were all _much_ more suited to close quarters combat and who she was forced to rely on at such times, and made her jealous that her sniper-scythe didn't have a convenient sword transformation like her uncle's.

But despite all the ideas and excuses the insatiable weapon crazed girl could think of for going next door and improving Crescent Rose's already legendary mechanical performance, Ruby couldn't run away from or shake off her reason for coming to the firing range and having _wanted_ to be left alone. Her clock ticking, and she couldn't focus on anything but her team's successful training exercise, and her failures...

Pride swelled within her bosom thinking of how her team had performed even after weeks of inactivity and still not physically being anywhere near a hundred percent. They had all grown and improved so much in their relatively short time together, and while Ruby liked to believe that she had played a _minor_ role in their development she knew where the _real_ credit lay.

One of the great expectations and heavy burdens on her as team leader was getting the most out of her teammates. She was to write bi-weekly reports detailing their progress to Professor Goodwitch would who in turn alter their classroom training exercises accordingly, as well as respond back with a report of what she was doing right or wrong or could be doing better, followed by a verbal discussion that was most often unnecessarily harsh but admittedly fair criticism of her team's flaws and deficiencies that as their leader she was ultimately responsible for.

Looking back at the very first reports she had written and received Ruby could see for herself just how much her teammates had improved, but it was also a reminder of just how much she was quickly falling behind. While their auras all continued developing, increasing, and growing stronger, her's seemed to move along at a snail's pace. And the impressive combat rating that she had always been able to fall back on since the first day of school had plateaued while theirs and the rest of the class' had been steadily inclining all these months. Whether any of them wanted to admit it or not, team RWBY's leader could no longer stand on equal ground with them, and in her mind would soon be holding them back if she wasn't already.

They would argue of course that she fought valiantly today in spite of her injuries, but in Ruby's mind injuries were just a harsh reality of the life she had chosen and knew they were all silently suffering even if they were too proud to admit them aloud. She had seen the bruises and bandages they'd all been hiding beneath their clothes when she walked into the dressing room earlier that day, and her eyes still welled up thinking of the blotches of discolored skin on the girl who was like a second mother to her...

Ruby knew what she was capable of, but she also knew what her teammates were capable of even better themselves. She tracked their auras daily if not hourly, had watched them overcome _every_ obstacle she and Professor Goodwitch put in front of them, had reported on how they all performed on the mission, and had personally modified their weapons to be some of the finest the academy had ever seen.

 _'I wonder if this is how you felt, Mom, having such an amazing team...'_ Ruby paused briefly to admire a wooden Beowolves being engulfed by an inferno before moving to one of the few remaining stations with targets still standing.

It wouldn't be much longer before Weiss would no longer require dust to create her glyphs. She could already substitute dust with aura for her icy constructs, as well as create black gravity and white propulsion glyphs without the need of green dust. And while Weiss modestly argued she did so simply because she wasn't particularly skilled with air dust, Ruby knew it was because her own skill and precision with aura was just that much greater. What her partner lacked in raw power she more than made up with technique which was only getting better with experience, which had been the _one_ thing she lacked when first arriving at Beacon. Creating her glyphs were no longer the great burden they once were and she was always finding better applications for them, and besides Professor Goodwitch she without question had the most knowledge of the ancient runes in the entire school.

The _only_ thing Ruby liked to take a bit of credit for was helping her partner think more outside the box and less like a textbook or centuries old tome.

Her best friend was the finest swordsman in an academy full of expert swordsmen, and did in spite of her small stature and limited aura supply. Both were exploits every opponent took full advantage of by rushing her and making sure she didn't have the time or concentration to create her glyphs, forcing the undersized girl with the lowest constitution in the class to rely solely on her skill with a blade, of which there was no equal. Eventually her opponent would overextend or make the most minuet of mistakes that she would capitalize on and finally go on the offensive, but by then she might've already overexerted herself as her classmates knew the trick to defeating Weiss Schnee wasn't by actually winning the fight, but by being able to outlast her. Which earned her no small amount of grief from Yang.

For that reason Ruby had suggested she start wielding a dust imbued parrying dagger in her off hand, something that would bolster her already impressive offensive arsenal and defensive prowess, but despite _occasionally_ creating a dagger made of ice when she had no other choice, Weiss _vehemently_ dismissed the suggestion and refused to hear any more. _Nothing_ in her opinion would ever be able to match the expert craftsmanship and class of Myrtenaster meaning the two would inevitably clash ascetically, and she would storm off before anything else could be said. Ruby thought her reactions strange, especially since Myrtenaster's hilt looked as though it'd been made to conceal a parrying dagger like most other Multi Action Dust Rapiers and Sabers, and couldn't wait to surprise her partner with her birthday present next month.

 _'I really wish you could've met her, Mom...'_

Ruby wiped her eyes on a dirty sleeve and reminded herself that time wasn't a luxury she had at the moment, and that soon she'd have to go back upstairs and pretend everything was alright.

Her every muscle ached and it hurt to even breathe, but Ruby couldn't have been more proud of their source. Blake had preformed spectacularly even while holding back and in a combat situation she wasn't entirely comfortable with, and was likely more injured than she was letting on. Like Weiss she was becoming more aggressive and more sure of herself, and was now _actively_ looking for opportunities to end a fight rather than just waiting for them to present themselves. Blake was now confidently controlling the pace of her fights, and if it hadn't been for her skill with a blade and sharp reflexes Ruby knew she would've been sent to the infirmary likely for another lengthy visit. Something Ruby felt she deserved for cheating...

Blake had come so far from having been the least refined fighter of the team, with Weiss going so far as to say her technique was sloppy and like an angry child lashing out, and often criticizing her stance due to not keeping her left shoulder and defensive cleaver pointed directly toward her opponent and her katana pulled back at shoulder height. But after months of sparing together Blake was now just as elegant with a blade as her tutor, if not more so due to being a faunus. The only things she still lacked was the ability to kill armored Grimm reliably without massive amounts of aura as well as the ability to protect a teammate's flank reliably, but if Ruby could just get the dust cartridges she'd been laboring on the past few months to work then that wouldn't be a problem anymore. Blake would be able to combine her shadows with dust just like she could with Weiss' glyphs, and _finally_ Ruby would have her replacement on the front lines with Yang.

Yang...

There was _nothing_ her big sis couldn't do...

Her friends were all incredible, the best even, and even if Ruby had understandable excuses as to why she couldn't perform better that day she refused to take anything away from them. She had always known where her true skill lay, and so Ruby thought the more she improved Crescent Rose and its support capabilities the more she could hide her own deficiencies. But weapons were an extension of their wielder, and Ruby had failed her dear Crescent Rose...

Ever since she was a little girl Ruby had been told stories of her uncle's legendary sniper-scythe _Harbinger_ , how it was the most feared weapon in all of Remnant, and how it was her mother's go-to summon. Ruby knew the only reason she had _seemingly_ been able to stand toe to toe that morning was because of Blake going easy on her and because of her sniper-scythe, making Ruby wondered how long would it be until she finally upgraded Crescent Rose to a point that she wouldn't be skilled enough to wield her baby properly. Losing hurt as competitive as she was, but falling behind and failing her friends and those who trained her hurt even worse...

As she stood there looking down the range Ruby began having the strong desire to activate her semblance and run as far away from Beacon Academy as quickly as possible and hide. It was after all what she had always done in the past, and her friends would be better off without her. They had all nearly died because of her mistakes, and the consolation for living was weeks of pain and suffering. She didn't deserve them, but especially not now.

Memories flashed in her mind of setting bombs aboard a passenger train, holding a blade to a quivering man's throat demanding his money, then sneaking into an SDC charity event intent on ending faunus suppression once and for all...

Ruby's body became rigid and her breath caught in the back of her throat. Cold sweat trickled down her neck and she shivered as more images flashed in her mind, each one more disturbing and guilt ridden than the last. Except it wasn't _her_ guilt she was experiencing and being tormented by.

Unnoticed by her before the room had darkened casting shadows where there ought not be any. Guilt and self-loathing hovered over her like a stormy cloud and even with the knowledge that these memories and thoughts didn't belong to her she still struggled differentiating herself from the familiar presence that luckily in this instance she had never before been quite as intimate with as her sister and partner.

The sensations continued growing stronger and soon smoke filled the air, blood began spilling, and faraway screams echoed in her mind, some even sounding vaguely familiar. Ruby was trapped, strangled and held prisoner in a cage with a predator that loathed themself and wanted everyone else to feel the same way.

"Bla-" her voice cracked. "S-stop...please..."

Ruby gritted her teeth already regretting what she was about to do but wishing she had thought to do it sooner. She flared what little aura she had left against the repressive darkness, attempting to soothe it much like she did when her sister's grew too ravenous. At first the sensation was pleasant as their souls danced and became intertwined, but then the source of the brooding aura began to quickly retreat along with the darkness of the room. Ruby turned just in time to see bright amber colored eyes and a thin body appear out of the shadows as though previously hidden behind a veil.

"I-I," Blake stuttered, backing away toward the door. "I-I was just trying to help, b-but my aura's not, I mean...it doesn't-"

She turned to run but a cloud of rose petals appeared in front of her along with a panting pale faced caped-girl. Ruby grabbed ahold of her arm and smiled up at her, but closed her eyes grimacing as pain shot through her limbs and the burning in the bottoms of her feet worsened.

Blake gaped at her horrified and tried fleeing but Ruby didn't let go and pulled the would be runaway into an embrace, practically collapsing against her. Both were shaking, and Blake was keenly aware that if she ran now she'd be leaving Ruby laying on the floor possibly until someone came and found her.

Almost instinctively and without thinking she scooped the half-conscious girl into her arms and carried back to the counter where Crescent Rose had been abandoned. There she set Ruby down and propped her up letting her feet dangle, but as she turned to make a quick getaway Ruby managed to grab her by the arm again and flared just enough of her aura to soothe the maelstrom of emotions, as well as to make sure she couldn't easily shadow jump away.

Ruby looked up with a weak smile trying to make sense of all of the scenes that had passed in her mind, but her brain was sluggish and the memories quickly evaporating. She removed her eye-wear and ear protection attempting to shake the cobwebs out of her head.

"P-please don't go," she whimpered, knowing if Blake left now she might very well _never_ come back. "I'm sorry for cheating in our match! You-were-going-easy-on-me-so-I-didn't-get-hurt-and-it-was-going-to-be-your-first-win-against-me-but-I-"

"I don't care about the match, Ruby," Blake snapped, perhaps more sharply than she had intended as her eyes moistened a moment later. "Weiss is right, you are a dolt..." she half-sobbed, removing her own eye and ear protection as well.

Ruby sighed in relief despite her words practically being sacrilegious having spent most of her life at a combat school. "Then t-tell me what happened. Please?"

The faunus pulled away slightly as if testing the younger girl's grip. "I-I saw you limping, a-and saw under your hood. I thought if I shared m-my aura it'd help, and I thought maybe I could see what you were thinking about..." As she trailed off Ruby could feel Blake's aura beginning to flare again, and worried that she might be left holding onto a shadow she took a deep breath and began doing the same, tickling Blake's sensitive nose with wilted roses.

"T-thank you," she said, surprising Blake who sniffled and shook her head.

" _Please_ don't thank me, Ruby. I don't have any business sharing my aura or looking into yours without permission, and like usual I screwed everything up..."

"We're friends, Blake, and you were just trying to help. And I get the feeling I should probably be the one apologizing."

Blake's eyes fell to the ground and she suddenly stopped resisting, and after a moment of hesitation Ruby finally released her. "I guess there's no point pretending it didn't happen. W-what all did you see?" she asked, her high pitched voice rising.

"I-I didn't see much. Honest! B-but I _felt_. And I guess it just reminded me of a few things..." Blake cradled her left arm to her chest as if suddenly cold, and kicked at the ground scuffing up her boots. It reminded Ruby of herself whenever she'd get caught sneaking into the cookie jar back home.

"Alright, if you don't want to tell me what you saw or felt in _my_ aura, can you tell me what I reminded you of?"

"Well I-" She took a half-step backward causing Ruby to lean forward and grimace as she prepared her semblance. "I-I know what it's like to feel lost, a-and like you don't belong..." She reached out again and surprised Ruby by grabbing her wrist and squeezing, and at last Blake met her gaze. "Ruby, if there's anyone who doesn't deserve to be at Beacon or on this team it's _me_."

"B-but, Blake, you-"

"No listen." She stooped down slightly so their foreheads nearly touched. "Ruby, I didn't come to Beacon because I have a noble heart like yours. Don't get me wrong, I've always dreamed of being a huntress, but when Ozpin invited me to his academy I didn't exactly have much of a choice. It beat sleeping in old barns and babysitting villagers' cows for food..."

"We always have a choice, and what about wanting to be the bridge between faunus and us _boring_ humans?"

Blake was quiet with shame as her eyes drifted downward. "Ruby, I came to Beacon thinking I was going to teach all of you lesser humans a history lesson, and yes I said _lesser."_ She made a pained face as though the words physically hurt. "I might've been fighting for faunus rights and equality for all those year, something I think now my kind might be taking for granted, but deep down I honestly believed we were better than humanity."

"Only because we hurt you..." Ruby whispered, squeezing her hand. "I might not have kitty ears, a monkey tail, or a puppy nose, but we're both the same, Blake. We're both human."

The girl in black nodded absently but didn't much react to her words. In Blake's mind there would always be a boundary between the two species, and perhaps reading her mind Ruby's face soured.

 _'Species_.' She had never particularly liked that word.

"At the beginning of the school year-" Blake continued- "I trusted humans probably about as much as Weiss trusted faunus, if not less, and being the hypocrite that I am I thought she was despicable. Meanwhile I thought that just because I was a faunus and because I had to fight for my food and losing meant starving that I would be one of if not _the_ best in combat practice, but then I barely scraped by with a draw against Weiss, lost handedly to you and Yang, and either lost or drew against all my other opponents. That's when I remembered that I _ran_ from all the fights I didn't think I could win and I _stole_ when no one was looking..."

Blake let out a frustrated growl and tried to back away but Ruby held onto her tightly. "Sometimes I can't help but think _'What am I doing here_!? _'_ " Her voice cracked and she shook her head, causing her long raven-colored hair to fall in her eyes. "A-after graduation I'll probably just go back to Menagerie, or maybe Anima. Four years of training for a career that barely averages two and a half. At first I could pretend that was good enough, but then the White Fang came back in my life and I remembered what's it's like to have purpose in my life again. I want to stop them, but more than that I want to _save_ them..."

Ruby squeezed her hand and began kicking her legs, and when Blake finally glanced up the caped-girl was wearing a wide grin. "That's because you wanna help people, and you're making a difference _now_ here at Beacon."

"I want to help _faunus_ ," Blake corrected carefully. "When the city was under attack my first instinct was to disobey my leader and abandon my friends to go help _faunus_ on the bad side of town, who being cut off from the rest of the city were perfectly safe compared to all the people of the residential district which I could see burning with my own eyes."

"Somebody has to look after them, and that was your home for a short while before coming to Beacon. You've walked in a lot of those faunus' shoes, Blake, and if it makes you feel better y'all don't listen to me half the time anyway."

"But I _always_ choose someone else over my friends, Ruby! And that _someone_ is usually _ME_! I'm part of the reason every human looks at a faunus and wonders where they keep their Grimm mask, and don't tell me they don't because I see it in their eyes! And I can't blame them! This time last year I set a coffee shop on fire just because it had a _'No faunus'_ sign, and I didn't care if anyone inside made it out or not! How is _that_ looking out for faunus?"

"B-Blake," Ruby choked "I-"

"I _always_ leave the people who care about me, _always_ , and it's just a matter of time before I do it again..."

Blake tugged feebly at Ruby's grip but the younger girl only squeezed tighter. Finally when she stopped struggling Ruby pulled her closer so they were almost face to face again.

"You'll make it up to them someday, Blake. I promise," she whispered. "You'll build that bridge between humans and faunus, and you'll be a great huntress. I know that because you already are, and I don't believe for a second when you didn't care if anyone inside that store made it out or not. If you didn't care you would've never left the White Fang in the first place."

When Blake didn't react Ruby poked her with a boot and arched her neck to see the face hidden beneath dark tangles. "And so what if you chose them over the people of the residential district? Or even us? My mom chose me over the villagers, and she left too, but I still forgave her, and I'd forgive you too, Blake, if you ever left..."

Hearing the high-pitched voice cracking was the last straw and Blake wrapped her arms tightly around the younger girl surprising her. It wasn't like all the uncomfortable embraces in the past where Blake was seemingly humoring her or like Weiss not-so-secretly wanting to get the experience over with as quickly as possible, or at least acting like she did. Instead she was squeezing Ruby who didn't at all seem to mind hardly being able to breath or her body protesting, and was pulling her closer so their damp hair stuck to each other's faces.

The embrace lasted for several minutes, with tears rolling down both their cheeks as their auras intertwined again. Eventually they released one another before either could suffocate, and besides a few sniffles they were silent as they stared at the other's bright eyes.

Blake giggled as it felt like she was floating and brushed the hair out of her eyes smiling downward. "Ruby-" The lump in her throat swelled and she paused to wipe her eyes before graciously accepting a tissue from the younger girl who began blowing her nose as though it were a trumpet. "Ruby, I'm sorry about earlier. I wanted to see what you were thinking about _without_ you knowing, and I shouldn't have done that."

"Blake, I already told you it's alr-"

She held up her hand silencing her and letting her know it _wasn't_ alright. "The second our auras touched and I felt what you were going through all I could do was think of and feel sorry for myself, and I'm sorry for dragging you through that..."

"Well-" Ruby smiled brightly and began kicking her legs again- "We are supposed to be a fourth of each other's souls, so really when you're thinking about _you_ you're still thinking about _me_."

Blake couldn't help but grin at how she somehow always able to see the best in people even when they were at their worst, and not for the first time appreciated how that peculiar brain worked. "Are you sure Yang and Weiss would let me have that much? Seems like they're always playing tug-of-war over you, and honestly sometimes I don't think they leave enough me for _me_. And just a fair warning, but if your sister _ever_ surprises me in the shower again you're gonna be an only child."

They both giggled and snorted until both their chests hurt, but once the unfortunate truths began settling in the laughter ended prematurely. To say Blake and Ruby shared a fourth of their souls together was being generous, and with both their auras still active and entwined they couldn't help sensing regret and awkwardness in the other. This was the longest their auras had ever overlapped each other, and without a doubt was the most of her soul Blake had ever shared with her leader.

Blake cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck unsure what to say. She didn't want to continue talking about what had transpired, but she had also never been one for small talk, and generally found talking to Ruby more difficult than the rest of her team. Yang was her other half, the one she shared the largest portion of her soul with, and the only one she ever really opened up to. Plus Yang did most of the talking anyway. She felt an unusual and unexpected bond with Weiss due to their connections with the White Fang and Schnee Dust Company, and talking about their crazy partners was a favorite past time of theirs, but talking to Ruby always seemed different somehow.

Perhaps it was simply because their ages were all roughly the same while Ruby was two and a half years younger, or because so much of their time together had been spent bonding over their mutual worrying of her, but Blake just never felt entirely comfortable alone with her.

 _'It's because deep down you don't trust her...'_ Blake thought bitterly, and quickly panicking she released the caped-girl and backed away. Ruby looked up at her shocked and more than a little hurt, but thankfully she didn't seem to have heard her thoughts.

Ruby's aura might smell like wilting rose petals, and sometimes they might even feel a tad similar, but it wasn't _his_ aura...

"S-so what have you been reading?" Blake stuttered, nearly slapping herself for how forced and admittedly lame she sounded. Luckily Ruby didn't seem to notice, or perhaps was just glad she hadn't done anything wrong. She seemed initially pleased at the turn of conversation, but her enthusiasm seemed to deflate after a moment of thought.

"Oh, um, just the usual," she said, looking down at her shoe laces. "Weapon magazines and comics. You?"

"Same..." Blake replied before shaking her head. "I mean, not the magazines or comics part. Just-" She sighed and shook her head. "Just the usual I guess..."

Mentally she was banging her head against the counter. They shared a room together and she knew how little Ruby had been reading lately. Unless it was Saturday morning she generally spent her time watching her sister and partner's antics with half-interest or stared out the window with a blank expression.

While Blake wrestled for something to talk about Ruby continued staring at the floor. Although reading was a passion they shared it was sometimes difficult for her to hold a conversation with the older girl. Their tastes couldn't be any more different with Ruby favoring lighthearted adventures or epic tales of huntsmen, and Blake gravitating more toward darker stories and romance novels that interested Ruby about as much as weapon magazines seemed to for everyone else.

"Oh!" Ruby snapped her fingers. "I did finally finish that one book! The one about a thief and a butcher."

" _'The Thief and The Butcher'_..." Blake deadpanned. "What did you think? Did you like it?"

"Well..." Now it was Ruby's turn to smile and rub the back of her neck awkwardly. "It was good, really it was, but also _kinda_ dark..."

"I warned you." From the faintest inflection in her normally monotone voice Ruby got the impression she was trying to be funny, but with Blake it was sometimes difficult to tell.

"I didn't like the ending," she continued. "I _really_ liked all the characters, and having so many of them impaled, dismembered, and incinerated at the end just seemed really mean and unfair."

"Well life _isn't_ fair," Blake chided, "and it _isn't_ a fairy tale."

Twinkling silver eyes glanced up and the faunus shifted her weight uncomfortably, and she resisted the strong urge to slap herself. "But I guess you already knew that..."

Ruby slowly nodded. Fairy tales and happily-ever-afters had been a source of contention between them ever since they first met. Ruby knew well enough that not everyone's story had a happy ending, but that didn't mean she believed they didn't existed, and was also why she often skipped the final chapters of the books Blake loaned to her. It seemed to Ruby that _nobody_ walked away happy in Blake's stories, and if at least one of the heroes didn't die or wasn't horribly maimed by the end she seemed consider it childish and borderline offensive.

Unbeknownst to her roommates however Blake had been reading those kinds of stories less and less. She still didn't particularly believe in happily-ever-afters, but if her life came to an end tomorrow she would've been lying if she said the ending to her story wasn't better than she could've ever hoped for. Thinking of her untimely demise was something Blake thought of often, but with Ruby's inexplicable copy of _'The Thief and The Butcher'_ fresh in her mind she also couldn't help feeling especially anxious and resisted the urge to look over her shoulder.

"Ruby," she asked, "do you remember a bookstore we visited called _'Tukson's Book Trade'_?"

The caped-girl bit her lip in thought. There weren't very many bookstores left in Vale, but she had never been very good with matching names to faces or places.

"Remember, the bookstore _your_ sister got all those awful joke books half-price because she flirted with the owner?" Ruby blinked. "The place where _your_ partner complained nonstop about dusty old books and started cleaning the place until she found a couple about glyphs?"

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific than that. Yang flirting and Weiss cleaning kinda happens a lot. And why'd you say _'your sister'_ and ' _your partner'_ like that?"

The faunus sighed and suppressed her inner-Weiss. "You were eating chocolate chip ice cream with white sprinkles and there were _books_ around you..."

"Oh yeah!" Ruby smiled, remembering it fondly as it were yesterday. "Weiss yelled at me for getting fingerprints on one of her books, and that's where Yang got that _'Hot Stuff'_ fireman's calendar. Oh, and you were acting kinda weird when she started talking to the guy behind the counter."

Blake grunted in response. The only good thing to come out of her teammates secretly following her that day was the calendar above the desk.

"Are you getting Yang another naughty calendar for her birthday? If so I don't think Weiss will like that..."

Blake shook her head remembering why talking to Ruby, as well as Yang and Weiss, was so difficult sometimes. " _Trust_ me Weiss wouldn't mind, but that's beside the point. I can't buy anything from Tukson. Not anymore..."

"That's the bookstore that closed isn't it? The one we were gonna stop by when we were buying supplies for the mission."

"Yes, and no..." Blake hung her head. "Tukson and I knew each other from our time in the White Fang together."

Ruby's eyes widened but she didn't seem entirely surprised, and Blake couldn't help feeling disheartened that a seemingly normal, everyday faunus being a part of a terrorist group wasn't even all that surprising to her anymore.

"Cat faunus are a dime a dozen in the poorer districts of Kuo Kuana, but when we're not fighting or stealing each other's food we tend to look out for each other, and Tukson always looked out for me..." Blake cradled her arm to her chest again and shifted her weight. "He was a lieutenant and all us younger faunus looked up to him, but he was disillusioned with the White Fang long before I was. I _hated_ him for leaving, but deep down I was wishing I could be half as brave. We used to stay up late talking about stories and how what we were doing would be written in books someday, and when I found out he'd opened his own bookstore I nearly cried. That'd been his dream since I can remember."

"So then why did he close it?"

Blake shook her head. "Tukson knew a _lot_ about the inner workings of the White Fang and still had connections even after he left, and he started getting scared that they'd come for him someday. I told him that he was just being paranoid, that no matter how extreme the White Fang might get they'd _never_ come after their own kind, but I was wrong. He wouldn't have just closed his shop like that, especially not without saying goodbye. Tukson's dead, Ruby. I know it..."

The misty eyed caped-girl covered her mouth and promptly embraced her. Blake welcomed the sudden warmth and comforting aura, and tears rolled down her cheek as if mourning her friend and partner in crime for the very first time.

"He's gone, Ruby, and they'll come after me too..." It made her sick to once again think only of herself. Tukson was dead, probably murdered by someone she once counted as a close friend, and all she could think of was when _her_ time might come. A part of Blake wanted to believe it was only natural, that it was just her survival instincts telling her to worry about the living not the dead, but she knew she was worse than that. And perhaps reading her mind Ruby glanced up and wiped her cheek.

"You shouldn't keep this kind of stuff from your friends, Blake. We've stopped the White Fang before and we'll do it again, but next time with your help, we'll _save_ them."

She nodded and tried getting control of her frantic aura, but the more her leader prodded the less control she seemed to have.

"We won't let _anything_ happen to you, and you and I both know Yang won't let them lay even a finger on you. She...She really cares about you, you know."

Blake sniffed and nodded, but almost subconsciously began pulling herself away and toward the door. _'And I couldn't live with myself if any of you were hurt because of me.'_

She knew her thoughts had been heard before she had time to realize her mistake, and before she could turn around and run out the door Ruby grabbed her hand again and pulled her back. "You running would hurt us more, Blake. So please stay and let us help you."

Pain stabbed her in the chest as the words manifested in her aura. All of Ruby's grief from the time she ran away to all the times she hid in the library avoiding her washed over Blake, as well as the heartbreak Ruby would endure should she ever leave for good. The sensation wasn't _entirely_ unpleasant however as Ruby's soul wrapped around her's making her feel as though she were wrapped in her warm blanket. Wilted roses once again tickled her nose causing warm feelings to rise in her chest, the kind she sometimes felt while reading her novels or when around Sun, but had once been her sole reason for living.

She felt embarrassed that even after all this time she still thought about _him_ this way, but her embarrassment grew tenfold when she realized her thoughts and some of her happiest, most _private_ memories weren't so private anymore...

Ruby's aura had been fading and had almost entirely died out when she finally released her, both wearing sheepish faces and bright pink cheeks.

"So, um, that was a _thing_ ," Ruby laughed nervously, her face nearly the same shade as her cape.

"If you ever tell Yang about this then _she'll_ be an only child," Blake warned, only _slightly_ kidding. Once her threat was acknowledged she began adjusting her attire self-consciously. "I-I don't know how much you saw or felt, Ruby, but I'm _really_ sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but-"

"You know who my sister is right?" she chuckled nervously, looking up at her expectantly for an explanation.

Blake shifted her weight not really seeing an out other than the truth. "I-I had a friend who was more than just a _friend,_ you know?"

Ruby nodded but quickly shook her head, causing Blake to sigh.

"I'm just teasing." She smiled. "Yang's had lots of _friends_ before, and I can tell you cared about him, a _lot_..."

"I loved him," Blake said as though remembering. "Without him I would've died on the streets, or worse. He saved my life more times than I can count, and every day with him was the happiest of my life. I still remember teaching him how to steal and not get caught, and him teaching me how to fight." She paused to chuckle. "You should've seen us, Ruby. We were both so clumsy around each other that I'd nearly stab myself every time I picked up a sword and he'd get us chased off every market we went."

"He sounds really nice."

"He was a monster," Blake whispered, catching the caped-girl off-guard. "At least that's what he became..."

Ruby kept silent but her questions hung in the air, and with her aura still lingering in Blake's she could practically hear them.

"We joined the White Fang together, but _I_ was the one who pushed us into it. _I_ wanted to make the world a better place, make the humans respect us, but when that wasn't good enough _I_ wanted them to fear us. I think he would've probably followed me anywhere, but I chose the place that turned him into the monster he wore on his face..."

She glanced down at Ruby but quickly looked away again. "For the longest time I tried blaming you humans for him turning him. His human mother abandoned him when he was just a baby, and the family that raised him was killed by human bandits in Anima. It's kinda funny how many faunus come to Menagerie looking for somewhere when so many of us there are trying to leave..."

Blake appeared thoughtful for a moment and Ruby patted the counter beside her, and after a moment Blake took a seat beside her and accepted her hand. "After we joined the White Fang we'd go looking for the worst kinds of humans to try and make their lives miserable, and then they'd try to do the same. If you look for hate you'll always find it, I can see that now, but back then all I could think about was what the Atlesians did to us before the monarchies fell and how the last two faunus revolutions ended. When we finally joined the White Fang a woman took us under her wing, and we practically worshiped her, Ruby. She's a folk hero to our people, and was the firebrand that started the White Fang when she...when she murdered Nicolas Schnee's eldest daughter..."

Ruby's face paled and she covered her mouth. "T-that's Weiss'-"

"-aunt," Blake finished, swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth. "Her name's Sienna Khan. She's the current high chief of the White Fang, a-and the closest thing I have to a mother..."

Ruby squeezed her hand and tried flaring her aura but nothing would come. Instead she scooted closer and rested her head atop her shoulder.

"Ruby," Blake sniffled, "they might be monsters, but I still love them. I don't know if Adam will ever come for me, if I hurt him that badly, but if he ever does please promise me that you won't-"

"That's why you've been reading so many books about Menagerie and its Grimm!" Ruby shouted, interrupting and catching her off guard. "I thought maybe you were just trying to learn about where you come from, that maybe you were homesick like me, but you're looking for Sienna Khan aren't you? You're looking for places where she could be hiding safely from the Grimm?"

Blake remained silent as the girl looked up at her earnestly with something resembling admiration. Of course Ruby would think the best of her...

Last she heard Sienna was _far_ from Menagerie, hiding instead somewhere in the vast territory of Anima, an ungoverned and disputed province of Mistral and one of the oldest refuges for faunus. Like Menagerie it was also one of the most dangerous territories on Remnant due to its heavy and dangerous Grimm population, but so long as the faunus left them alone the monsters _generally_ kept their distance.

"No-" Blake shook her head- "stopping Sienna wouldn't stop the White Fang, there's just too many chapters now, and even if I knew where she was hiding I wouldn't tell Ozpin. I wouldn't even tell you..."

From the corner of her eye she saw Ruby nod as if understanding. "She's like your mom..."

"And she'd be executed by the Atlesian military for her crimes _after_ they were done torturing her for information and _after_ the Schnees made an example out of her. She might be a monster, but I still love her, and I don't want _that_ to happen to her..."

Ruby snaked an arm around her pulling her close, and this time Blake rested her head against the younger's. She was glad Ruby could no longer hear her thoughts or read her feelings, or at least wasn't able to make sense of them because all she could think about were raging crimson eyes staring back at her, however with Ruby's aura still lingering in her's a part of Blake couldn't tell _whose_ monster they belonged to.

Her cat ears perked up still sensitive after all the gunfire that day, and began using her predator-like eyes to study the younger girl. Everyone spoke with unique inflections and facial mannerisms, but there was always a _tell_ whenever that person lied that a well-trained faunus could catch. The trouble was this didn't always do her any good when the person honestly believed the lie or were as practiced as her teammates.

Weiss spoke in the same calm yet demanding manner no matter whether she was ordering pizza or relaying important information on the battlefield, which Blake supposed came from being around politicians and businessmen her entire life. Yang was a different sort however as it was difficult to take _anything_ that passed between her lips seriously, and unless she was excited or on the battlefield her sister generally sounded unsure of herself through no fault of her own. On the other hand however, Blake's monotone voice and sometimes dramatic way of speaking as though she had learned by reading could be just as puzzling to her leader.

"Ruby-" She swallowed, afraid to speak- "a moment ago you asked about the books I'd been reading, the ones about Grimm?" Ruby nodded. "H-have you ever heard of a Geist before?"

She nodded again, albeit more nervously. "I've read about them, and my Uncle Qrow's killed a couple. He told me things they don't mention in the books, and sometimes they give me nightmares..."

"Trust me, they're scarier in person, a-and I'm trying to find a way to exorcise one _without_ killing the host. Would you happen to know anything like that?" When Ruby didn't give an immediate answer Blake's entire body became rigid and she began scolding herself with every unpleasant name she knew, _knowing_ she had spoken without thinking to the _wrong_ person when it came to quick thinking.

Finally Ruby glanced up biting her lip and looking thoughtful. "OH NO! DON'T TELL ME GEISTS ARE GONNA BE ON PROFESSOR PORT'S TEST! I HAVEN'T EVEN STUDIED!"

Blake breathed a sigh of relief thanking every deity she had ever heard of and kept to herself that there wasn't supposed to be anymore tests before the Vytal Festival. "Yep, so you and Yang better study, cause I take it you don't know how to exorcise one either."

While Ruby moaned Blake sighed knowing it had always been a long shot, and asking Yang's little sister about Geists and how to exorcise them from a host had been cruel and borderline backstabbing. However, she wanted answers, _needed_ answers...

"Say, Ruby, your uncle's from Menagerie isn't he?" she asked wistfully.

"Yeah but I swear he's not hunting Sienna!" She began waving her arms as if blowing the thoughts away. "Just because I don't know where he is doesn't mean he's hunting Sienna or anyone from the White Fang, but if he did my Uncle Qrow would find her and-"

Ruby promptly closed her mouth and Blake couldn't help smiling at her. She regretted tuning out the motor-mouthed sisters as much as she did, but now watched the caped-girl expectantly as she twiddled her thumbs nervously. Blake found if she just stared at people long enough they _eventually_ said what she wanted them to. With the sisters it just sometimes took a bit more patience.

"Uncle Qrow doesn't talk about Menagerie very much," she said quietly. "He and his sister, Yang's mom, they left when they were about my age. They tried applying to Sanctum Academy in Mistral and Oasis in Vacuo, but nobody wanted them..."

"Because they were from Menagerie," Blake couldn't help saying aloud. "Because they were _humans_ from Menagerie, which is a lot worse than faunus..."

Ruby's thumbs began moving as though she were playing a video game and her life depended on beating it. "B-but _Signal_ accepted them, and that's where they met my mom and dad."

"They were a part of a tribe weren't they." It wasn't a question. "They wore Nevermore masks and that's where they got their names, _Qrow_ and _Raven_."

"Huh?" She glanced up but quickly looked away. "Maybe... Please don't tell any-"

"Ruby, I'm the _last_ person who'd go tattle on someone being from Menagerie, and in case you've forgotten there's a Grimm mask hiding on my side of the closet. Plus-" She tapped the girl on the nose- "Your uncle is a registered huntsman and tournament winner. That's _kinda_ a big deal and why you're one of the coolest kids in class."

The caped-girl began to blush and pulled at her cloak wanting to hide, and while her flattery might've had an anterior motive Blake was glad to see the sheepish smile and pride on her face, and kept to herself what she thought of humans who wore Grimm masks as part of their religion.

She had experiences with the nomadic tribes of Menagerie, the humans that were called outcasts even by other outcasts, and _none_ of them had ever been remotely pleasant. Blake had never given too much though to her partner's name before, but now not a day went by that she didn't wonder about its origin. To say Yang was proud of her surname and kinship to the Lionheart dynasty of Mistral would've been an understatement, but Blake couldn't help thinking back to her Grimm Ecology class and learning how the ivory head of a King Taijitu was more commonly known as a _yang_...

Tai _yang_ Xiao Long, the man who married a woman named after a Grimm and wore the face of her namesake, and whose crimson eyes and rage still burned today matching that of any Grimm...

 _'Yang Xiao Long, the little sun dragon...'_

 _'Adam Tarsus...'_ Just the name made her want to curl up in a ball and cry.

"You okay, Blake?" Ruby reached out and rubbed her back.

"Yeah, fine." She wiped her face and quickly spouted the first thing that came to mind. "Anything else you've been reading!? You're always welcome to read anything of mine!"

It took all of Blake's strength not to slap herself...

 _'Bad time for cat to get your tongue, eh?'_ said an annoyingly cheerful voice in her head.

Ruby opened her mouth possibly to reiterate what she had said earlier, but a little white lie was weighing on her conscience. Her books and video games buried in the closet had seemed so far away when she had still been mostly bedridden, and the ones underneath Blake's bed _so_ close. And the cover depicting a bare chested pirate carrying a woman in a tattered red dress back to his ship had sounded so cool...

"NOPE-NADA-NOTHING!" she shouted, her puffed out cheeks turning scarlet.

While she continued whistling nonchalantly Blake smiled politely but was busily regaining her composure thinking over her next words carefully. Along with Geists, she had also been searching online and Beacon's expansive library for answers to another one of her questions but there were hundreds if not _thousands_ of contradicting stories each with different interpretations that only got more ridiculous as she continued searching. She doubted now would be any different, most likely Ruby would only add to the confusion, but she still had to try.

"Say, Ruby?" she asked, sounding uncharacteristically hopeful, "You wouldn't happen to have ever heard of a fairy tale called _'The Four Maidens'_ would you?"

Silver eyes lit up and a grin engulfed her face. "Of course! Mom told it to me every night before bedtime! Well, okay maybe not _every_ night but at least three times a week! Five tops! Sometimes I'd even make Dad or Uncle Qrow tell it too, but they never told it right, and Yang _hated_ and would just start making stuff up."

Blake almost couldn't believe her luck but had to quickly calm herself. "I never heard many fairy tales as a kid," she said sounding disappointed and the least bit wistful. "Could you tell me more about it? I got the gist of it, four girls save an old man from being eaten by Grimm and afterwards rewards them with magical pow-"

"-Dad could never remember if they were queens, princesses, huntresses, sisters, friends, or complete strangers," Ruby continued excitedly.

"Then which-"

"They were sisters _and_ princesses," Ruby said proudly. "Mom told it the _right_ way. No one else ever does."

"Uh-huh..." Blake quickly made up her mind that either this was the one _true_ recount and the answer to all her questions, or Summer Rose had been just as quirky and stubborn as her daughter when it came to matters bordering on religious experiences, and fairy tales _definitely_ fit that criteria alongside Saturday morning cartoons.

"They were the Northern Kingdom's four princesses! _Long_ before Atlas or even Mantle!"

"I've heard of it..." Blake grumbled.

"Anyway, the other kingdoms had _just_ been conquered for the first time and the king and queen were dividing them up for their daughters. The eldest, Winter, she inherited her parents' kingdom and all its dust mines. Autumn, the second oldest, she inherited the fertile valley of the Southern Kingdom. Spring, the third, she inherited the eastern wetlands and all the best sea trade routes. Then there's the youngest, me and Mom's favorite, Summer..."

Ruby's pitiful remaining aura began to glow but her smile had shrunken slightly. "Summer inherited the Great Desert and its master stonemasons, and-"

"Because nobody else wanted to go there and she didn't have a choice," Blake added.

"A-and she married a tribal leader to keep a civil war from happening, but-"

"-but it happened anyway and _all_ of her husband's followers got banished to Menagerie, _including_ their children together that were faunus born." Blake had tried keeping her voice down but she knew this part of history all too well. Vacuo, the Western Kingdom or more commonly referred to as the Summer Kingdom, had once been an oasis in the middle of the desert and its inhabitants peaceful, relatively, that was until war ships belonging to the Northern Kingdom landed on its shores. "I can see why this _fairy tale_ wasn't too popular back home."

Ruby flinched and was too nervous to speak again, and had to be gestured by Blake to continue. "N-none of that was Summer's fault though!" she insisted, tears springing up in her eyes. "She was a good queen! A good mom! Vacuo was the first kingdom to free faunus and break away from Mantle!"

"It's just a fairy tale, _and_ your mom's interpretation of it," Blake grumbled, biting her tongue and no longer able to remember why she'd been so keen on hearing the interpretation in the first place. There were grains of truth to Ruby's story, such as there having once been four sisters ruling over the kingdoms with the eldest as their sovereign, but they hadn't been named after the seasons and the youngest daughter _certainly_ wasn't the woman Ruby and her mother believed her to be.

While the other girl fumed internally Ruby remained silent, occasionally sniffling or wiping her face.

Blake hated herself for reacting as she had, but it was almost instinctual by now. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "It is _just_ a fairy tale, a-and I'm sure your mother told it well. It's just that cat faunus originally ruled Vacuo, were practically worshiped actually, and you could say it's still a bit of a sore spot for some of us born in Menagerie."

The caped-girl's spirits seemed to rise slightly and smiled as though nothing had happened. Blake couldn't help but wonder perhaps if she had gotten used to her sister's temper, Weiss' sharp tongue, as well as her own scathing retorts when something didn't sit well.

"Please keep going. What about the old man? Some of the stories call him a wizard but he couldn't have been, could he?" Blake didn't exactly believe in _magic_ per say, but she didn't consider it out of the realm of possibility either, not when she'd seen so many people practice it back home.

"Well-" Ruby swallowed, perhaps cautious of another outburst- "Mom told me he was a huntsman of old, that he was the best to have ever lived, besides my Uncle Qrow of course, but he was old and dying. On his deathbed the king's daughters came to pay their respects, and he was so grateful he gave them a gift. He gave them each a portion of his soul."

"He could do that?"

Ruby shrugged. "Like you said it's just a story, but we do it, don't we? If he was _the_ expert at aura manipulation like my mom told me then he could've done it. She told me so, and besides him she was the best ever."

Blake opened her mouth about to speak but thought better of it. With how bad of shape the girl was currently she didn't need to be reminded that her one and only aura match was dead.

"He split his soul into fourths," she continued, "giving them each a portion of his semblance. They could create fire, ice, lightning, wind, and water glyphs just as easily as Weiss can, but these were the _real_ elements, not just dust or aura synthetics. Overnight they were masters of _all_ the elemental glyphs, including ones like summoning, telekinesis, _and_ transference." Ruby paused to smile causing Blake to raise her brow. "This way he could protect Remnant forever, and being the aura master that he was should any of the sisters die he'd just find a new host for his powers."

"He used them," Blake thought aloud. "D-did he at least give the sisters a choice?"

Ruby bit her lip. "He was a hero, and it gave the girls all the power they needed to keep their future kingdoms safe."

Blake nodded. _'So then he didn't give them a choice...'_

"How did your mom's version end? Everything I found just says the maidens traveled to the four kingdoms teaching what they had learned and living happily-ever-after."

"Well, this part of the story always used to scare me, but it has a happy ending I swear! We both know what happened to Winter's descendants after the Great Civil War. They gave up their crowns in exchange for an old dust mine everyone _thought_ was empty."

"Shame it wasn't..." Blake muttered to herself. "And they didn't exactly do it out of the goodness in their hearts, you know."

"Spring's descendants were always closer to Winter's than their other sisters', but once they saw that the war might not end well they surrendered and gave up their crowns in exchange for training and coordinating the first generation of huntsmen at the soon to be built Haven Academy. Autumn's descendants were the only ones to have kept fighting even after their armies laid down their weapons, and when they refused to give up their power...well, Vale's newly freed people stepped in. With help from Mantle and Mistral..."

"And the same thing happened to Summer's," Blake remembered. "They were wolf faunus, which meant half the kingdom always hated them, and Atlas and Mistral always looked down their noses at them. I know what I said about Vacuo's first queen, but her descendants were good to us, usually, and so were Vale's. After the faunus were free we actually supported keeping them as rulers, but the royal families and their palaces burned while Mantle and Mistral's laughed. Sounds like a fairy tale if I've ever heard one..."

While Blake's dark thoughts twisted inside of her Ruby's eyes sparkled. "Nope," she said, popping the _'p'_. "I told you this one has a happy ending. Mom told me that a little girl escaped the fire in Vacuo, the queen's youngest daughter, and that her descendants are alive today! And so are Autumn's!"

" _'The Transient Princess'_ and _'The Fallen Queen'_ ," she murmured, causing Ruby to nod.

"You've heard those stories too!?"

"They're DSNY movies. I had to listen to you three sing the soundtrack for nearly a month, and of course the Vacuo's princess was made a human and her faunus uncle was the villain..." Blake didn't voice just how unlikely she thought the ending to the cartoons were, and secretly wondered if Ruby's mother had changed the story to make it better for bedtime, if she changed it because they had seen the movies together, or if it could be as simple as her name being Summer and them living in Vale made the story more personal between them. A combination of all three also seemed likely.

"I know the kings and queens were always fighting," Ruby said, "and that the academies were built as a sign of trust between the kingdoms afterward, but sometimes I wish I could meet them and be a huntress of old just like Mom's stories."

 _'Good riddance...'_ Blake kept to herself, sad to think such thoughts. She felt more confused than ever before, which she supposed she should've come to expect when talking to Ruby. There were contradictions keeping her story from being even half-true along with outlandish ideas like an old man splitting his soul apart and giving teenage girls impossible powers, but there was _some_ truth at least. Was it _actually_ possible Vacuo and/or Vale's royal family's could've survived the massacres? Could they have _really_ survived two hundred years without anyone discovering their identities?

Yang certainly seemed to have thought the fairy tale was important and somehow related to her friend Amber. Was it possible she was the descendant of the long lost princesses of Vacuo or Vale? The vagrant princess of the west or the queen who never was of the south that the movies portrayed?

Blake thought back to the photo Yang had showed her and Weiss. Amber's dark skin might've meant she had some Vacuo blood in her, but she couldn't be sure. Yang's suntan wasn't much lighter and when her eyes turned red she could've _easily_ been mistaken for native Vacuon. Perhaps then Vale's royal family? The Isle of Patch was in the Kingdom of Vale after all, and it would make sense that the kingdom would offer her protection, but Blake suspected that would be the case no matter which family she was a descendant of. There was after all a certain heiress upstairs that often joked about Beacon giving her asylum.

She shook her head frustrated that nothing could ever be simple, _especially_ not with her teammates. Her plan had seemed simple enough back in the training room. She'd keep an eye on Ruby and make sure she was alright, but she'd also try to get answers either directly or indirectly. Blake felt she had botched both the first and second about as well as she could, and felt the third hadn't exactly answered any of her questions, but the way Ruby spoke seemingly believe every word despite saying the contrary almost made Blake believe her as well.

"Ruby, your mom wouldn't happened to have told you where she thought the princesses descendants could be did she? Or _who_ they might be?"

When there wasn't an immediate response she glanced at the caped-girl who was staring down at her feet and holding her stomach as though she were hungry.

"Ruby?"

"Huh?" Her head shot up. "Oh, sorry. No, I don't think so. It's just a story..."

"You alright?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I just...I was just thinking about Mom. I've been thinking about her a lot lately." She paused then in a whisper even Blake had trouble hearing said, "I really miss her..."

Blake scooted closer which was almost impossible due to how close they were already, and while cursing herself once again for troubling the younger girl she wrapped an arm around her which was quickly reciprocated.

"Ruby, have I ever told you what my happiest memory is? _Was,_ I mean, before coming to Beacon and meeting you three..." Blake knew for a certainty she hadn't, and Ruby shook her head curiously. "As crowded as Kuo Kuana was and how horrible its southern district could be, sometimes I can't help feeling a bit homesick." She swallowed the lump in her throat as what she was about to say hadn't passed from her lips or been shared in her aura since _him_ , not even with Yang.

"T-there was a young woman, a girl really, probably just a year or two younger than you. My earliest memories are of her. She'd bring me food, water, and even stray kittens to play with, and every night I'd crawl in her lap and she'd tell me bedtime stories." Blake brought her legs up onto the counter and hugged her knees tightly to her chest. "Every morning I'd wake up and she'd be gone, but I'd wait for her in the little nest she made for me. It was in the rafters of an old run down building, a church maybe, and I think you two must have went to the same engineering classes because it was made entirely of books, ropes, and blankets. And I loved it just the same."

Ruby blushed and leaned against her as though she were telling a bedtime story herself. "What did she look like?"

The faunus frowned and closed her eyes for a moment as if trying to picture the face. "She had cat ears and black hair like mine, and gold eyes that are still the most beautiful I've ever seen..."

As she trailed off Ruby held her breath and gazed up at the sparkling amber colored orbs just a shade or two off from gold, and reading her thoughts Blake regrettably shook her head. "No, I don't think she was my mother, b-but that doesn't mean I don't...I mean _didn't_ pretend she was." She glanced down with a lopsided smile that Ruby swore she had stolen from her sister. "Cat faunus look out for each other, or at least we're supposed to, and I think she was probably just a sweet girl who was too nice for her own good looking after someone whose parents didn't want her."

"Blake, I-" Ruby choked, struggling so say something, _anything_ , before squeezing her tightly. "I want you, Weiss wants you, Yang wants you, and we wouldn't know what to do without you!"

The faunus sniffled and squeezed her back. "Thank you," she whispered. "As much as I want to hate my parents, if you can call them that, I can't exactly blame them. Food can be hard to come by in the poorer districts, and I hate thinking about what that girl might've done just to get me bread. I saw plenty of other girls do it over the years..."

Ruby looked puzzled for a moment before her cheeks pinked and she began coughing, filling the awkward silence. "Oh..."

"Not every child born in Menagerie is wanted, and-"

"Well _we_ want you," Ruby repeated sternly in case she didn't believe her or in case she forgot.

Blake sniffled again but continued speaking in her usual monotone voice, resting her head atop Ruby's and curling up into a ball. "And then one day even she didn't come for me. She didn't come the next day or the day after that, or even the day after that. I waited and I _kept_ waiting, but she never came back for me. And by then all the kittens were gone..."

Ruby lowered her head and closed her eyes, imagining a little girl waiting for someone who left and never came back, and didn't have to imagine very hard. "I'm sorry."

"Then the very next morning I woke up barely able to turn my head too weak from hunger and thirst, and saw a gold plate stacked with all my favorite kinds of fish." She couldn't help but smile but it quickly faded from her face. "I knew it was goodbye, I just did somehow, but I still stayed there waiting. For a long time I _hated_ her and couldn't understand how she could just abandon me like that, until one day I finally understood how much easier it is leaving _all_ of your problems behind you..."

"You're not running away," Ruby stated simply, reading her mind and speaking as leader again. "You always run where you need to be and where people need you. And we needed you. I need you..."

A smile briefly flicked across her face but Blake's demeanor changed, suddenly becoming more serious, almost disgusted even. "I don't know if you know this, Ruby, but there's still slavery in Menagerie. We just have nicer names for it, kinda like the SDC does with its faunus _employees_." She flinched slightly as that wasn't _entirely_ true but forces of habit were hard to break. "Wearing a gold studded earring means someone bought you, and the girl had a gold stud in her left ear and two in the other, meaning someone _very_ rich paid a lot for her. I joined the White Fang hoping someday humans would treat us as equals, but how are they supposed to do that when we treat each other like property?"

Ruby didn't have an answer and so remained silent.

"Kuo Kuana has a new chieftain who's _supposedly_ trying to make changes, but for _years_ I thought the White Fang and I were going to free them. Someday either after or during my huntress tour I'm going back to Menagerie, and if she's still alive I'm going to find her and thank her, and if she's willing, ask her to come run away with me..."

"And we'll help you find her!" Ruby shouted, sitting up and about to rise when her shoulders began to sag. "It's just a shame you never learned her name..."

Blake's eyes twinkled down at her. "Who said she never told me her name?" Like Ruby her heart skipped a beat before pounding against her chest. "Her name's _Kali_. It's a pretty common name back home, and another name for the Deadly Nightshade. It's a poisonous flower that grows practically everywhere in Menagerie, and it has another name too. The _Belladonna_ flower..."

"I've always thought your name was pretty," Ruby said, blushing and unable to sit still as she kicked her legs. Blake sat quietly with her face also turning pink, but even without the younger girl's aura active she could feel the question that had been hanging in the air burning a hole through her that Ruby just couldn't stand any longer. "Alright-so-tell-me-how-you-got-down-from-the-rafters-if-you-were-so-high-up!"

Even though she'd been expecting the question it still took Blake a moment to translate what exactly had been said, and after a couple of chuckles she gave her a playful wink. "I'd seen how some of the kittens had gotten down, but when I broke through one of the rotting floorboards I learned my first lesson about life."

"Life isn't a fairy tale?" Ruby guessed dishearteningly.

"Nope." Blake grinned as it was her turn to pop the _'p'_. "That no matter how far the fall, we cat faunus _always_ land on their feet, and thank you for reminding me of that, Ruby."

She hugged the younger girl who embraced her back, but before they could separate she gave her a kiss on the cheek just as she'd seen Yang do countless times in the past. The act initially surprised Ruby as Blake's hugs alone were few and far between, but she quickly beamed and gave her a gentle kiss back.

"You're a great leader, Ruby," she said at last, and wrapping an arm around her again as both their auras activated and began to hum in unison. "You _really_ are. Just like your mom I'm sure."

Ruby's body stiffened, and Blake glanced down at the face suddenly hiding itself. It had only been in passing that herself and Weiss learned she was in fact an almost unheard of second generation leader, something they thought Ruby would've boasted about but was strangely a topic she almost seemed to avoid.

"Mom wasn't _always_ the leader of her team," Ruby said quietly, looking ashamed and as if making a confession. Blake stared at her puzzled and only after noticing did she continue. "After initiation the headmaster chose Uncle Qrow as the leader of team quartz. Q-R-T-S," she spelled out. "But he and Dad didn't get along very well, especially back then, and so for a little while they went by team turquoise, T-R-Q-S, and team bubbles, B-B-L-S, but those didn't exactly work out too well either. Finally they voted for Mom to be the leader of team stark, S-T-R-Q. She was basically the leader by default..."

"If the headmaster thought she wasn't capable she wouldn't have been made leader," Blake said simply, smiling at the caped-girl. "And obviously he and her teammates made a good choice."

Pride twinkled in Ruby's eyes but so did a touch of sadness. "I don't think she ever really wanted to be team leader though. A week before graduation she named my uncle their leader again, and he didn't find out until a little while later."

"What? Why?" Even Blake knew that upon graduation team leaders were the most sought after by employers, meaning they generally had the first pick of jobs and the highest paying as well. To willingly give all that up and the pride associated with being a huntsman leader after four years at the world's most prestigious academy even for your partner sounded ludicrous.

Ruby however merely shrugged. "Because Mom knew he was the best. Uncle Qrow was their real leader, the one who made the _tough_ decisions she couldn't make, and she was right. He's the only one who's still on full time active duty after all..."

Blake was reminded of their own team's situation, particularly in regards to their leader's age. Summer had been the youngest member of her team as well but had also been a year older when she'd been accepted into Beacon. It was hard sometimes not to look at Ruby and see her age and caring nature, and at times Blake and Weiss couldn't help but defer to her older, more experienced sister who let it be known that _her_ orders superseded that of their leader's and that _her_ word was the ultimate authority on team RWBY. After all, she had the authority to ground their leader and send her to bed without dessert, as well as the _physical_ ability to make good on any threat and punish _anyone_ who challenged her, got in her way, or put her baby sister in harm's way.

"Four tours of duty and in the middle of his fifth," Ruby said as if finishing her thought and interrupting Blake's.

Blake couldn't help but shake her head a the idea of being a huntsman for twenty years, _surviving_ to live that long. She could only think of a handful of professors at the school who had finished their second, and annoyingly she found Professor Port of all people might've had the longest tenure with six before finally retiring. And although it wasn't intentional, thinking about how much the sisters worshiped their uncle, Blake was reminded that Ruby wasn't actually genetically related to him. Something Yang would only bring up in the _harshest_ of sisterly arguments and fights, which she'd put to an end to shortly thereafter.

"They were the best," Ruby gushed, almost overwhelmed just thinking of them. "They're the only team to have won the Vytal Festival tournament three years in a row, and the only ones to have won as freshmen at Beacon..."

Her wondrous smile was contagious but Blake's was mostly out of politeness. The tournament while an exciting prospect had even been a source of anxiety for her thinking of all the television screens around the world watching. _Everyone_ she had ever cheated, threatened, harmed, and abandoned would know _exactly_ where she was and who her teammates were, but the thought of standing with them on the victors' podium and removing her bow for the world to see filled her dreams at least once a week. The secret she had tried so desperately to keep would finally be revealed to the world, and everyone around Remnant would see a faunus standing as a champion alongside a Schnee and two other humans...

This fantasy never lasted long however, especially not when she smelled Ruby's feet. Just the thought made her want to gag.

"You know, Ruby," Blake said, sliding down off the counter, "if Ozpin had named anyone but _you_ as our leader we would've probably died or killed each other by now. And besides, _nobody_ but you is crazy enough to want to lead this team, or be Weiss' partner for that matter."

The red cape billowed but Ruby remained silent. Blake glanced down at the way she was holding her stomach, the way she'd _been_ holding her stomach and pointed. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, no I'm fine!" She waved her hands in front of her as proof. "See? Just hungry and a little sore is all!"

"Well-" Blake rubbed the back of her neck. "-if you're not, please take it from me and don't hold secrets from your friends."

"I won't. Promise."

Blake studied the younger girl looking for any hint of deception, noting her hiding a hand behind her back when her vision became blurry and her mouth fell open with a wide yawn. She'd already been mildly sore and stiff after their first training session in nearly a month, but it was also her first day off since classes started back again and had been feeling lethargic since waking up that morning. By following Ruby she had already made her peace with missing her routine afternoon catnap, which on a weekend for a light sleeper like herself who normally didn't get much sleep at night was making the day drag longer than it should've. Her aura reserves were also dwindling, causing her to discover newfound pains in new places, and if it hadn't been for the smell of wilted roses being stuck up her nose she might've considered skipping the relaxing soak in the tub and subsequent shower and dealt with the consequences of waking up in a sweat stained bed and having to listen to Weiss' complaints when she woke up.

Ruby covered her mouth to hide an infectious yawn as well. She was an early riser by nature while Blake had always been one out of necessity, but while everyone on the team could get a little cranky when they didn't get enough beauty sleep it never seemed to affect her. She easily got the least amount of sleep on the team, and lately had been getting even less. Her nightmares which used to only visit her once every week or two were now plaguing her several times a week waking her roommates.

"I guess we should get dressed and go make sure _your_ sister hasn't killed _your_ partner yet. If we're all that's left of team RWBY it's going to be a quiet four years together."

She smiled and helped Ruby down before pulling her into an embrace. Wilted roses again tickled Blake's nose but she ignored the unpleasant scent and held the younger girl's hand, leading her to the door when she felt Ruby's feet begin to drag.

"You coming?" she asked, surprised to see Ruby looking down.

"I'll be there in a minute," she answered, leaning against her rifle. "I'm just gonna readjust Crescent Rose's scope and refill my magazines."

Blake lingered for a moment watching the caped-girl shift her weight every few seconds. She nodded and walking toward the door lingered there for a moment, and only after receiving a reassuring smile and wave did she slowly retreat out the door, never taking her eyes off her leader.

The heavy door slammed shut and with the faunus' suspicious eyes finally gone Ruby doubled over clutching her stomach, whimpering. Using the last remains of her aura to soothe an already exhausted Blake had done the trick but not without a price.

After looking around the firing range making sure she was in fact alone Ruby reached into her ammo belt and retrieved a white pill bottle. She then reached for the water bottle attached to her belt but let out another soft whimper as she realized it was empty. It hadn't been that long ago Yang had to cut her pills in half in order for her to swallow them, and as tempted and in as much pain as she was she wasn't about to try swallowing them dry.

From memory she knew the nearest water fountain was down the hall in the _opposite_ direction of her team's dressing room, but Blake would be counting the seconds until she followed. Glancing back at the door she _carefully_ and _quietly_ stashed the pills back into their hiding place in case Blake's cat hearing was better than she gave her credit for, and in case her shadow was still lingering in the room with her listening.

Refilling Crescent Rose's magazines took but a second for her practiced hands as she leaned against the counter, and after readjusting the scope she unfolded the sniper-scythe and leaned on her while stumbling toward the door...

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I'm terribly sorry for the long delay, friends. As you can see this was a rather long, intensive chapter that took me about two months to write and edit, but also in between this and the previous chapter I've written four chapters for two new stories _"A Patchwork Rose"_ and _"The Twilight Dragon"_ , and I also took my first real break from writing in nearly six months. Again I'm terribly sorry, but thank you for your incredible patience and support. You don't know how much you all mean to me.**

 **As for the chapter itself,** **I always enjoy giving time to the characters' weapons and seeing how they reflect their wielder, and exploring how Gambol Shroud has evolved with Ruby's help was a lot of fun to write. I really like the idea that Blake goes into this chapter with good intentions (mostly) of helping Ruby, but due to her guilt and self-loathing she inadvertently becomes the center of attention, and it's by helping Blake that Ruby helps herself. I promise however that we'll be addressing some of Ruby's problems _very_ soon in Chapter 18.**

 **I also wanted to give Adam a bit of backstory in this chapter, and perhaps make him a bit more likable/sympathetic if that's possible. I really wanted to give a reason why Blake might've loved him once upon a time, but also perhaps explain why he's become the monster that he is with a part of Blake possibly believing he can be saved. And tying him thematically to Ruby and Yang is something I've enjoyed doing since the trailers. I also hope you enjoyed a peek into Blake's backstory with Sienna Khan, Kali, as well as Tukson, and I hope I was able to keep Ruby/Summer's interpretation of the Four Maidens interesting while still keeping it open enough for your own interpretations.**

 **As always thank you so very much everyone for all your support and _incredible_ patience, friends. ****All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless)**


End file.
